Life's Deadly Decisions
by Tennie25
Summary: Eric's trying to create a secure life for he and Sookie and protect her from harm. Sookie's trying to cope with everything she has endured. Will new challenges and new acquaintances create a rift between them? or will they have a fairy tale ending?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Charlaine Harris. All characters and settings belong to her other than my own characters that I have added to this story.

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. I wanted to write one for awhile now but didn't have the time. I figure this story will probably be about 20 to 30 chapters. I haven't read the new book yet so I don't add elements of it in this story.

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Sookie's Diary:

_Well I decided to start a diary. I never had an urge to before but for some reason my gut is telling me to start one now. It's been three years since my incident with the fairies. So far it's been relatively peaceful, it's like the whole supernatural world figured out that I had endured much more than I could take. No vampires and no weres have come to bother me to get me to use my telepathy for them. No fairies have come to hurt me, so I assume that Niall has 'taken care of them'. But I'm not sure. My scars and injuries have healed very well. Though not all them have disappeared. There a few faint scars on my legs and arms. Perhaps they are meant to stay there as a reminder. A reminder of what... I don't know. I still have nightmares and the occasional panic attack about that time. I expect I will for the rest of my life. No large amount of vampire blood or mental support will ever rid me of those. Other than that everything has been great. I live in Shreveport now with Eric. I objected at first when he bought us a new house, but fell in love with it when I first saw it. I still have the farmhouse, but it doesn't feel like home anymore. I occasionally help Sam when he needs it. Jason has a new wife. When it happened it didn't come as a huge surprise. My brother.... he could never stay single for so long. He went through a large number of girls since Crystal of course, but for some reason this girl pretty much tamed him, for how long, it remains to be seen. Her name is Charlotte. She is human and they are also expecting their first child this autumn. I'm guessing that's one of the biggest reasons why he married her. Amelia moved out of my home a few months after Trey died. I think she wanted to see if I would be okay before she left. She says she doesn't blame me, but I know she does and I blame myself for his death as well. She lives in New York and comes to visit me from time to time but doesn't stay for long. I think this area is too painful for her because of what she lost. She dates men and women but hasn't settled down with one person. When I do see her, I can still see the sadness in her eyes. I hope she can be happy again soon. Bill recovered well from his injuries and is living in Sao Paolo. He moved over a year ago and donated his house to the town. It's become some sort of historical tourist attraction now. He doesn't me write or call me, but I did receive a letter from him a few months ago. He wrote that he's been travelling and even mentioned meeting a Vampire nest who had been living in the Amazon Rainforest for over 1800 years. When I read that I hoped that he would mention more, but apparently they value their privacy and wish to remain undetected. He asked me not to tell anybody about them, but wrote that he had wanted to tell me because he felt the need to tell someone about this fascinating piece of information, someone he could trust. He found them by accident while trekking through the jungle one night. They threatened to kill him of course, but he took some sort of painful oath of allegiance. He also had to help them find some sort of artefact with his satellite tracking system. I stifled a giggle and thought of Bill as Indiana Jones looking for lost treasure. I thought that was sweet. We made peace with each other and I forgave him for lying and cheating on me. After the 'incident', lingering on things like that seemed mundane now. He still loves me of course but I think he finally realizes that I will never love him in the way that he wants me to again. I do miss him though, hopefully he comes home again someday. Sam is still the same. He dates occasionally but is still single. I always tell myself that he just hasn't found the right girl, but I know he still is hung up on me. Why that is, I have no clue. He knows that there will be nothing ever romantic between us. _

_As for Eric, well he is still the same. I can probably write a whole book about him and it still wouldn't be enough to describe him. He is the best thing that has ever happened to me. It took me so long to finally realize that I loved him after months of self denial. He continues to run his businesses but has all but handed over the reins of Fangtasia to Pam over two years ago. I asked him why he simply told me it was time to move on. "The reasons that I had to hold onto it are gone because now I have you." That made me extremely happy knowing I was enough for him. He basically told me that we were exclusive in his own way and in a way to respect me as well. He knew how jealous I was when I saw fangbangers throwing themselves at him. It was a type of jealousy I had never felt when I was with Bill. He has a downtown office now in Shreveport which he calls his headquarters where he overseas his various businesses. When I first met him I thought he only had Fangtasia, but he owns several businesses. He is still Sheriff and seems to be gaining more of the favour of Felipe and the vampire hierarchy. It's a positive step for his career and standing in the vampire world, but unfortunately, it's not so great for me. He goes on official vampire business trips across often, sometimes leaving for several days. Even though he seems to enjoy his new role in the vampire world, I can't help but miss him terribly. But I know how much this means to him, so I always put aside my feelings and convey happiness and contentment through the bond. I have even learned how to shut my end of the bond like he has done from time to time. I only do this I feel resentment of his job or when I feel lonely when he's on his business trips. I've gotten good at hiding my negative feelings._

_And as for me, I feel like an empty shell whenever he is not around and it scares me. I go through the motions of living when he's gone and only feel complete happiness when I'm with him. I hate to feel so clingy and needy. It scares me that I rely on him so much now for my complete happiness. What would I do if he left me? Or if something happened to him? I must try to get past this and become the independent woman that I once was. I've been taking independent psychology and English courses that are offered from the state university to keep me busy when Eric is not around. I have even been taking language courses. So far I've been trying to master French and Spanish. I also spend time with Pam, but not at Fangtasia though. When I do go there, all the fangbangers give me the evil eye for taking away the object of their desire away from them. But I don't feel guilty about, not at all. When I am with my friends, I act as though I am fine. I help Tara with her daughter Emily. Whenever she and JB need time to themselves I babysit for them. I've also visited Hunter. He has advanced so much in the development of this telepathy, I just hope his future will not be as distressing as mine has been. Eric knows about him now but chooses not to meet him. I think he understands that I want to shield him as much as possible from being used for his telepathy in the future. I am grateful for that. _

_As I have written before I have come to completely rely on Eric to help get me through stressful moments. The panic attacks I have usually come the moment I am alone, the horrors of what those rogue fairies did to me come back to haunt me. The hate, the pain, and the fear all threaten to overcome me and there are moments when I cannot breathe. But thank god for Eric. He has been my pillar of strength. Without him, I cannot imagine where I would be. When we are together, all the pain seems to leave my body and mind and it is just me and him. When we make love it's just pure lust, love, and serenity. I treasure every moment when I am with him physically and I can feel through our bond that he feels the same way. The only downside is his obligations that take him away. These past few months, he's been spending more time away on his business trips than usual. He tells me where he goes. Usually it's Chicago, Los Angeles, and especially Las Vegas. Though I never ask him nor does he convey any information about what he does during these trips, I have a feeling that a huge change is about to occur. Whether it is good or bad, I know I need to prepare myself. I comfort myself with the feeling of his love. Whatever is about to change will happen soon. I feel like........_

Sookie's POV:

I look away from my journal towards the door of our bedroom. I can feel him coming closer. That sneaky vampire! He told me he would not be coming back until tomorrow evening. Obviously he is not able to surprise me since he is transmitting a large amount of lust and love and it is giving me goosebumps all over. I grab my journal and pen and throw them in my nightstand drawer. I told Eric I was going to start writing a journal and he agreed to not peek inside it ever. Hmm... but this is a vampire we're talking about so I don't know how long he'll keep his word. But I do know that I trust him completely and am determined to not keep things from him so it won't bother me too much if he does glance at it. Just for safe measure I get my journal and scratch out the part about the Amazon vampires quickly. It's not my secret to tell. He's been gone for five days on one of his "official vampire business" trips so I am absolutely ravenous for him and I know he is for me. I run into the bathroom and look for some lingerie to quickly put on. I find a small little red silk nightie. I decide not to put on any panties since I know he'll just tear them off me anyway. He is inside the house now. I quickly run to our bed and pull myself under the covers. I try to rein in my own arousal just to tease him a bit. The door opens and now he's standing there looking at me. Unfortunately my little plan doesn't work. My arousal comes back quickly. He looks absolutely stunning in his black Armani suit. He usually wears suits now when he's away on his trips or at his office, but still is a jeans and t-shirt man when he's home.

I feel so lucky. "I thought you were coming home tomorrow. I had a special evening planned out for us," trying to give him my best pouty face.

He smiles at me, "Oh really, would you like me to leave? I could come back tomorrow if that is your wish."

I smile back at him as I throw the covers off my body, "Never!" I sit up on my knees and just as quickly in his vampire speed he tears off his suit and tackles me down into the bed. "I missed you so much my Lover," as he is kissing my neck. I quickly glance over his shoulder at his tattered suit on the floor. _I guess they don't tailor Armani suits for vampire strength, _I thought to myself.

He looks down to my red nightie, "Beautiful" is all he says before ripping it off my body. He kisses and starts sucking on my breasts. His right hand is on my folds and clit. He is not pinching just caressing them and smearing my wetness. I grab his length and start caressing it as well.

"It's been too long," he whispers in my ear and I give him a nod to proceed further.

I grab his hard length and position it to my opening. He shoves into me entirely with one stroke. He looks at me tenderly and gives me a sensual kiss on the lips. He starts to pick up the pace and I meet him stroke for stroke. I can feel our climaxes approaching simultaneously and in one last stroke we both reach our peeks. He gives one last kiss before he rolls off of me and tucks me into his side so I can catch my breath.

"Was it a good trip?," I ask him as I am trying to catch my breath.

"Not really," he only replies, "I'm glad to be home with you."

I'm tempted to ask him more, but right now I just want to be here in his arms for the rest of the night and that is what I do.

At 10:30am, I wake up the next morning in his arms sore from our night of marathon sex. I love waking up in his arms, but the only downside is that it is physically hard to remove myself from his embrace. Even in death he is still strong and most of the time I have to wiggle my body down the bed in order to remove myself. I look at him and give him one last kiss before I head to the bathroom to take a shower.

After a refreshing shower I head to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast and just then the telephone rings.

"HHh\ Hey girly," Tara says on the other end. Since Amelia left, Tara and I have become closer as friends. Despite her previous bad experience with vampires, she gets along with Eric very well and has no fears when her daughter is in the same room as him.

"Hey Tara, how's Emily?"

"She's good, just has a little bit of a cough. Guess what? J.B. has agreed to take care of her for the whole day and wants me to go out and have some fun. You know like shopping and other stuff. I was thinking we could meet up at the mall in Shreveport and maybe later on this evening go to a club with Eric and J.B.? Me and J.B. will rent a room at a hotel for the night. J.B.'s mother always wants to take care of her for a night so I figured she'll babysit. So what do you say?"

I give myself a moment to think about it and reply, "Shopping sounds great Tara. I'll meet you at the mall. I'm not too sure what Eric's plans are for tonight, but I'll ask him." I think briefly about my new resolution of trying to become an independent woman again. "If he's busy I'll come anyways. I'll ask Jason to come out with us as well, so Eric won't feel so uneasy about me going somewhere without him." I don't mention that Eric will probably send out additional bodyguards to follow us. I'm also not too sure how Eric will react since I haven't spent an evening out in public without him since the faerie incident. But more than likely, he'll be coming with us tonight.

Our day at the mall is just what we both needed. We get our hair, makeup, and nails done. I also buy a new dress. It's an ivory colored sleeveless dress that emphasizes my boobs. The skirt flares out and comes down to my mid-thigh. At first I am reluctant to buy the dress, but Tara convinces me that Eric will love it when he sees me wearing it. Afterwards, Tara and I part ways late in the afternoon and make plans to meet up later tonight. When I get home, I feel happy and content. I call Jason and ask him if he wants to go out tonight. He says yes right away. I can tell that married life is starting to make him feel suffocated. I also feel a bit nervous about going to a nightclub. Other than going to Fangtasia occasionally, I haven't been to a nightclub in a very long time. But I squash my insecurities because I think Eric will most likely be coming with us tonight. I linger on my thoughts about this evening and am too distracted to notice that Eric has risen.

"I can feel your confusion and uneasiness, something the matter Lover?" I turn around and he's standing there naked (of course) in our living room with a concerned look on his face.

I smile at him. "It's nothing really, just something I wanted to ask you. Tara and J.B. invited us to go to a club. Maybe we can do a little bit of dancing?" I go to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

At first he continues to look at me with the same expression but then it turns into a frown. "I cannot go to a club this evening. There are some vampires from Las Vegas that are arriving and I have a meeting with them at Fangtasia tonight."

Darnit! I let out a small sigh and bite my lower lip. After a long moment of gazing at his chest I tell him, "That's okay baby. I really think that Tara wants and needs to have a night out. I think that caring for a baby day and night is taking a toll on her and she needs to have some fun. I don't want to disappoint her so I'll go out with her and J.B. by myself. I even asked my brother to come along, so everything should be fine."

He gazes at me with a neutral look on his face as though he is my father deciding whether or not he will allow me to go out with my friends. "I see. You can come to Fangtasia tonight with your brother and friends. My associates and I will be conducting our business in my old office, then we can join you afterwards."

I bite my lower lip and look at his chest again. Somehow I don't think a night at Fangtasia is what Tara had in mind. I also don't want to go there either. It will be the same thing. Fangbangers staring daggers at me with hateful, jealous thoughts. I look up at him again. "Honey I think Tara really had her heart set on going to that new nightclub called Roxy's tonight. Besides I'm not too sure how Jason will feel about going to a Vampire bar, seeing as he's a werepanther now."

He gazes at me with a surprised look on his face. "You really want to go out this evening don't you?" I give him a nod. "Honestly I don't want you to go anywhere without me, especially to a nightclub." He removes himself from my embrace and excuses himself to go to the kitchen to prepare a True Blood. I follow him and he silently sips on it staring out at the pool which is shimmering in the moonlight. At first I think he will say no and am ready to argue with him on this point, but suddenly, "Alright you may go out with your friends, but only for a few hours. Four at the most. I'll also send two vampire guards with you. One will be sitting close by and the other will be a little bit farther. You can call Tara to cancel her reservation with the hotel she is planning on staying at. Tell her she can stay at our hotel downtown for free. Your brother may get a room there as well."

_You mean YOUR hotel, _I think to myself. As much as I have been clingy with Eric these past few years, I still don't want to feel like a kept woman. As often as I have told him these past years that I don't want his money or property, he has become even more determined to share everything he owns with me. He already had the legal papers drawn up with his lawyers, but I haven't signed them yet. It became a sore subject for us, so he's given up on that idea for now.

"That's great Eric. Thank you so much for this. I know you feel uneasy and unhappy about me going out without you, but if it makes you feel any better, I will definitely feel miserable without you." I give him a slight smile and my best puppy dog eyes which he has come to love.

"My lover, I know the perfect way for you to make it up to me," he whispers in my ear.

My initial reaction is to let him screw me on top of the kitchen counter, but I remember my hair and makeup. I also still feel a bit upset that he isn't coming with us tonight. "Well sweetie, you are just going to have to wait. I'm a bit upset as well that you are not coming with us. So I'm afraid you'll have to suffer for a few hours." I give him an innocent smile.

He frowns at me and mutters some ancient expression to himself.

We go down to our chamber to get ready. I call Tara and Jason about the new plans while Eric heads into the shower to get ready for his meeting. He leaves the bathroom door open and as I am dialling Tara's number, I can hear that he is relieving himself of his erection in the shower. He is moaning my name and conveying pure lust through our bond. Instantly my panties become soaked and I send him my feelings of lust. Just like that he comes out of the shower in his vampire speed and lifts me up against the wall. I nibble on his earlobe as he rips off my underwear and rubs his thumb against my clit. He starts kissing my neck and finds a spot where he sinks his fangs into. I come instantly in his hand while he is still rubbing my clit. He removes his fangs from my neck and pushes into me in one swift stroke. He is pounding into me hard and the only thing I can do is hold on tight to him. I can feel my desire rising up again as he is reaching his climax. He slows down slightly and starts rubbing my clit intent on making me cum with him. With one last stroke, we both reach our climax. He leisurely moves in and out of me waiting for me to catch my breath. When I finally do, he carries me to our bed and kisses me.

"Lover, I still need to finish my shower. I'll be back in a few minutes."

I kiss his lips and look at him lovingly. "Go ahead baby. I still need to call Tara and Jason anyway. Plus fix my hair and makeup which you've just ruined after our quickie." I quickly call Tara and let her know our new plans. She informs me that J.B. is unable to come after all. It seems his mother won't be able to babysit so J.B. offered to stay at home and care for their daughter. She still wants to come and stay the night in Shreveport nonetheless. I have a feeling that the old Tara might be coming out of retirement tonight. Jason doesn't answer his phone so I leave him a voicemail.

After my calls, I fix my hair and makeup and head to the closet just as Eric is coming out of the shower and bathroom.

He scans through his clothes deciding what to wear as I pull my new dress from out of the bag.

"You're not planning on wearing that tonight are you?," he says, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

I glance at my new skimpy dress. "Yeah I just bought it this afternoon. When I purchased it, I thought about your reaction at seeing me in this dress and dancing with me at that new club. But since you can't come with me, I guess you'll be missing out, Oh well, just another reason for you to regret not coming with me." I snicker and stick my tongue out a little at him. He frowns and mutters to himself again in some ancient language. He doesn't mention the dress to me again, so I assume he won't argue with me about it.

After an hour, we're both ready for the evening. I call Tara again and she tells me she is already dressed and almost at the hotel. We go out to the garage and hop into his corvette. Before he starts the ignition, he turns to me. "Lover your body guards will be following us in their vehicles. I'll drop you off at the hotel and you and your friends can ride to the club with one of the guards.

I smile as he gives me a quick kiss and starts up the ignition. We soon pull up in front of the hotel that Eric owns. Tara sends me a text that she has just got into her room and gives me the room number.

Eric gets out of the car quickly and opens the door for me. Just as he begins to walk me up to the room, I turn to him, "Baby it's ok. You don't need to walk me up to the room. I can do this on my own." I look at with him with sincerity in my eyes.

He gazes at me briefly before saying, "Alright lover, your guards will be with you anyway. Call me as soon as you get to the nightclub." With that, he gives me one last kiss. After all of our kisses throughout the years, it still feels as good as the first time he laid one on me. After a few minutes he releases me from his mouth and starts giving me butterfly kisses on my cheeks. I can feel his reluctance of letting me go as my feelings are as strong as his. But I remind myself I need to do this.

"I'll see you in a few hours baby." I tell him as I release my hold on him.

He releases his hold on me as well. "Remember four hours max. Or else I'll come to get you."

"Okay _Dad," _I dryly reply to him. He gives me one last wink and hops back into his car and drives off.

When I get into Tara's room, she hands a shot of liquor to me. I look at it wearily. I've never been much of a drinker.

She senses my apprehension. "Don't worry it's not that strong. We just need to liven ourselves up for the night ahead," she says cheerfully. I give her a nod and swallow the drink. Surprisingly it's not that bad. A fruity sour taste. She pours me another one as my cell phone rings.

It's Jason. "Hey Sook, sorry, but I can't come out tonight. The wife won't let me. She threatened to lock me out of the house if I went out. She said it's unfair cause she has to stay at home pregnant. Can you believe that?!" I roll my eyes. I feel a bit sad that I won't be able to spend some time with my brother.

"That's ok Jas. We can have dinner sometime next week. Talk to you later."

I hang up the phone and swallow my second shooter. I feel a little bit tingly afterwards and decide not to drink anymore until we get to the club. A half hour later, we head downstairs with my guards. My guards have been with me for about two years now and never talk to me. At first I tried to be polite, but they usually just replied with one word answers and afterwards I gave up. I think Eric must have forbidden them to socialize with me. The male calls himself Clint. The female guard calls herself Savannah.

We pull up in front of the club and immediately my guards take us to the front. There's already a long line of people waiting to get in. I guess we're not the only ones in town wanting to check out the new hotspot. The bouncer lets us in after one of my guards tells him our names. We are then escorted to the VIP area and the waitress comes to take our orders. I suspect that Eric told the club owners about us and told them to gives us the special VIP treatment. I look over at Tara who is barely containing her excitement which is slightly rolling onto me. I can tell she is getting anxious to dance and drink more as well. I think about Eric as I smile back at her and try to hide my sadness. It is hard to be here without my vampire.

Eric's POV:

I sit here in my old office listening to what this vampire has to say when really I would much rather be with Sookie. Etienne has always been garrulous and it usually takes him hours to get to the point when he could've just said what he needed to say in ten minutes max. But I keep my business face on and listen to him intently while at the same time thinking about Sookie. I was surprised when she said she would go out to another club without me. But I could also feel her determination to go out with her friends. I know she hates feeling so clingy towards me but I rather enjoy it. I've always felt possessive of her and her emotional dependence of me has brought her even more closer. She moved into a house with me and she quit her menial job with that shifter. She has done all the things that I have wanted from her since the beginning but it all happened in the worst way possible. The months after the torture she endured from the faeries were the most happiest and painful moments of my existence. She refused to let me out of her sight and we spent all of our time together. I learned how to show her my love and devotion. She learned how to share her pain and finally admitted her feelings for me. Her physical and emotional injuries were by far the hardest things that we faced together. Three years later she still carries those scars, but I know that with more time she will feel whole again. The incident also forced Sookie to look at her own mortality and the time she has left with me. Despite having a strong objection towards becoming a vampire, her attitude towards that issue has changed. We haven't said anything about it with words but I know she is willing to let me turn her sometime in the future when the time is right for her.

My thoughts of Sookie are interrupted by Etienne. "So I can assure you that you will always have the support of my Queen, Sheriff. In all of _your future endeavours_."

"Tell your Queen that I am grateful and wish her well." I politely reply.

"She's also instructed me to inform you that you are always welcome in her kingdom and is ready to come visit you in your own territory as well," he adds.

Rosamund. Queen Rosamund of France. She acquired that title from her maker who was the past King. Unfortunately, he met his final death two hundred years ago and left France to his child. We were lovers briefly after she became queen and continued to see each other from time to time.

"I thank her for the kind offer and maybe sometime in the future I will come for a visit to her kingdom with my _bonded,"_ I tell this vampire. He raises an eyebrow at me and I hope he understands the underlying meaning. Etienne is her child and she only turned him about 80 years ago. Despite his talkative nature and age, he is actually very clever and charismatic. Like me, she chose her child well.

He takes his leave and as soon as he is out the door I check the messages on my phone. Sookie has sent me another text.

_Baby I'm having fun. Too bad ur missing out. Dancing with alot of hot guys. Luv Sookie_

I smirk at her message. I know for a fact she is not dancing or chatting with any men. Before she left, I gave her guards strict instructions to not let anyone bother them while they danced or when they sat at their table. The VPA (Vampire Protection Agency) only hires the most adept vampires to act as bodyguards. They've been with us for about two years now so I trust their abilities to a certain degree. I can also feel her emotions even from here. I can feel her underlying sadness of being away from me, but I could also feel her excitement and enjoyment. She must be feeling the effects of the alcohol.

Pam walks in again this time with a vampire I am familiar with.

"Master, Marten is here." I see Pam giving him a lustful look and a wink. She doesn't have a taste for men too often, but I know she would make an exception for Marten.

I give her a nod as she walks out of the room and closes the door.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you. Fifty years perhaps?"

"Fifty years. Not a very long duration for our lives don't you think?," the handsome Dutch vampire responds. Marten was turned about the same time as I was. His youthful look gives him the appearance of a young man of 20. He has blonde hair and light green eyes and stands about 6 feet. He's has lean muscles like me despite the age of his body. Attributed by the hard human life we all lived back then. I first met him over 800 years ago when he left his maker to go out on his own. We travelled together for a short time trying to make our way through Europe. A few hundred years ago, he adopted the last name Meijer. He is one of the few vampires I trust, but in our world I know that trust is easily broken.

"You're right. Fifty years isn't a very long time. How is your kingdom?" He is king of New York, so I know to have him as an ally in any matter would be a great advantage.

"It's utterly boring. But I would take boredom rather than conflict any day. So I hear that de Castro is looking to unload Arkansas and Louisiana." He says it as more of a statement than a question.

In the past few years Arkansas and Louisiana have become more of a burden to own rather than being profitable. But I knew that the main reason was because of the various incompetent Sheriffs he chose for the territories. My territory was the most profitable.

"I am not too sure. Being close to de Castro affords me new opportunities and privileges, but he doesn't disclose everything to me."

"If he was looking to sell, would you accept his offer if he gave you Louisiana?"

I knew that Marten had no interest in staking ownership in this part of the US; rather he was more curious to see if I would finally become a King after over a thousand years. "Marten you have known me for a very long time. I always choose to take certain actions that contribute to my well-being." _and Sookie's, _I silently add. "Besides if he does give his territory to someone, one of de Castro's favourites is Madden."

Marten's face turns into a look of disdain. "That rodent. If de Castro does give him territory, then he is a more of a simpleton than I thought."

We talk for another forty minutes in an ancient Scandinavian dialect until he is ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't want a snack before you leave?" Sookie's good mannerisms are starting to rub off on me.

"No, I must get back to my plane. I have a video conference with one of my lieutenants. Besides I would like to spend some more time with my maker before he heads out on one of his journeys. Marius is accompanying me on my journey to California."

Ahh... Marten's maker Marius. I have not met his maker in all of my thousand years but that is not out of the ordinary as he leads a very concealed life. He is also from Scandinavia and it is rumoured that his human family comes from a noble Roman bloodline. He is capable of choosing any kingdom in the world to rule but he would rather stay cloaked than become involved in vampire politics. I have heard he has several gifts that no other vampire possesses, one of which is persuasion. It is not as effective as glamour but he is capable of persuading his will on other vampires. Perhaps that is what has helped him to conceal his existence for hundreds of years. Marten is his only child and has taught him how to survive in our world well. He is also one of the few ancient vampires remaining, older than my own maker Appius.

"I would very much like to meet your maker someday Marten." I say as I am getting ready to bid him farewell.

"I have told him much about you over the years. I think he would like to meet you as well. But until then, I wish you well."

I watch him as he leaves and ponder what we have just discussed. These past few months have been agony for me. I have spent more time away from my precious Sookie than I would have liked and I can feel her sadness and despair. I know that the pain is greater when she shuts off her end of the bond. But I hope to reap the benefits of that sacrifice soon. She does not know how hard I work to conceal her from my world. De Castro has received hundreds of requests from vampires across the world asking for the use of her telepathy. I have spent much time addressing the Vampire Council and de Castro trying to persuade them that she is no longer available for their usage. I hope to explain and make it up to my bonded soon when my future plans are finalized.

Pam walks in with the last vampire associate for the evening. I let out a sigh internally and hope this meeting will be done quickly. I am anxious to get back to my bonded.

Sookie's POV:

We've been here for two hours and I swear that Tara and I have been dancing for at least over an hour. I also feel even more giddier as I have drunk three gin and tonics during the first hour. The dance floor is very crowded but it seems that there is plenty of room for me and Tara to dance. I'm surprised that no guys have tried to join us as both Tara and I are considered attractive women. But then again I suspect that may be attributed to that Viking vampire as well. I can tell that Tara is a little bit disappointed that men aren't trying to come on to her. I'll have to explain the reason why later before she considers it a blow to her self-esteem.

The DJ is playing an endless supply of dance music that makes me continue to sway my hips endlessly. During my rehabilitation I found that dancing contributed greatly to my continued recovery efforts. Eric always played music and danced with me whenever I felt sad. The memories of those times warms me up inside and I check through our bond to see how he's feeling. Satisfaction is probably the most overwhelming feeling. His meetings must be going well for him.

"Tara I'm going to go sit down now!" I yell towards my friend.

"Sookie , please just one more dance. This is a great song!"

I look over at my friend and yell back, "Okay just one more!"

Tara starts dancing even more provocatively as I think she is trying one last effort to entice a man. I watch her dance for a brief moment and start swaying my own body to the song. I start to feel even more relaxed and close my eyes as I am dancing to the song. Suddenly I feel a pair of strong hands on my hips. I start to feel the same sensation whenever my vampire touches me and I am excited that he is here.

"You are a wonderful dancer." A strange but sexy voice whispers in my ear.

I am startled and spin around towards the man. I am shocked to see a man as beautiful as Eric standing before me. He's just as tall as Eric and has the same body build. He has clear blue eyes and gorgeous brown hair that comes down to his shoulders. I am too dumbfounded to speak and I blatantly stare at him.

"You seem startled." His eyes crinkle in amusement. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Marius."

I finally find my ability to speak. "My name's Sookie."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Oh my, the weather can be so misleading. It was actually sunny today, no clouds, so I thought it would be warm enough for shorts and sandals. But as soon as I stepped outside I could feel the cold. I'm from Canada so we only get like maybe 2 months of hot or warm weather every year. I just wanted to add that I haven't read the books since last summer and right now they're sitting in storage, so forgive me if I get some facts wrong. I'm going by memory. I was going to add this chapter tomorrow but since I can't sleep I thought I would do it now. It's shorter than the first chapter, but the next one will be longer. Good night!

* * *

Marius' POV:

I sit in my child's private jet waiting to leave this small town. He has gone to meet and discuss certain matters with the Sheriff of this area. Throughout the years Marten has told me much about this vampire. He rarely discusses any other so I assume that he must be special. Eric Northman seems quite similar to me in terms of personality, but the need for power is where the comparison ends. During my human years all I wanted to do was lead a normal life and have a family, but I was cursed with certain abilities. Our village knew about these cursed gifts and no other families would offer their daughters to my family for me. We were treated as outcasts most of the time, but my skills as a hunter allowed me and my family to remain with them. Like Northman, I was turned while travelling to another village in hopes of obtaining a wife. My maker never told me her name, as I suspect she never had one. When I had first risen as a vampire, she told me what I was capable of. She had the gift to see the potentials in humans and said that she could not allow my talents to be wasted in my mortal life. She said that my gifts would continue to develop and that I was destined to do something great. We travelled together for hundreds of years drinking blood, having sex and soon I found out that she was right. My special talents increased over time as I drank the blood of humans and other supernaturals in the Old World. The numbers of our kind were also increasing and one day she decided that it was the right moment to end her existence. She said that her time in this land had ended and that I was ready to embark on my own journey. For the first time since I was a human child, I cried. I offered to perish alongside her but she ordered me to continue on. After her death I travelled throughout Asia for the next several hundred years. When I returned home, I found that the numbers of our kind had increased dramatically and that the vampire elders decided to form a Council in order to regulate the growing population. Certain vampires were chosen to govern over certain territories and new rules and laws were made by the elders. My maker had been a firm believer that a vampires` nature was to be nomadic and independent. We only had one silent rule amongst us, and that was not to drain humans unless we were turning them. I also shared this belief. When the Council offered me territory in my homeland I refused. I told them that I would obey their laws unless they interfered with my own needs and plans. A few hundred years later, while roaming the forests of my native soil, I came across a young man. He was also a hunter and for the next few weeks I saw how strong and agile he was. He reminded me of myself and thought that if I had fathered a son, he would be like this boy. I was lonely and the strong desire to have a family had not died. I fought with him during which time I asked him if he wanted an immortal life. He had first said no, but with the aid of one of my many gifts, I showed him the life that I had led and he quickly changed his mind.

I can sense that my child will be gone for awhile so I step out of the plane. I use my heightened senses to evaluate the land around me. It seems quiet in this town, but yet there is something alluring about it. I find myself mildly curious, an emotion which I rarely feel nowadays. I`m not hungry at all and at my age I can go for days, even weeks without feeding. But I decide to search for a meal this evening as this emotion will probably continue to nag me if I stay here. Over time I have become quite particular of who I drink from and my search for a blood donor will have to be found downtown. At the airport terminal, I glamour one of the ticket agents to give me information of a special place or event in town. She informs me of a new club opening and that there will be plenty of young people.

I shoot up into the sky and follow the lights and noises to my destination. There are only a handful of vampires who have the ability to fly and I am one of them. This rare talent was the last of my gifts that I developed and I have been flying for only three hundred years.

I reach my destination and slowly descend to the adjacent building. There is a crowd outside and I can feel the lustful stares of the women in line. The bouncer ushers me in right away and I walk up to the second level of the VIP area. So far I have not seen any possible donors. I sit down briefly until a few women come by to join me. They try to talk to me but I ignore them. The smell of their skin is repulsive. I get up to stand at the balcony area and watch the humans dancing below to tuneless dance music and see that there are even more women staring at me. I can also sense the jealousy of several men as well.

Many do not also realize that I am a vampire. Most vampires become pale after being turned, but I was fortunate enough to retain a slight shade of my former skin tone. It allows me to pass as human to a certain extent.

I continue to scan the dance floor area until I spot a curvy blonde woman dancing with another attractive female. I cannot see her face but I can tell she is a beauty and the sight of her body causes me to become aroused. I have tasted and met millions of women throughout my life and it is rare for one to cause an instant attraction in me. I focus solely on her and realise I am not the only male to notice her. There are several human men taking her in but yet they do not approach her. I notice that two vampires are watching her and realise that they must be guarding her. I am now curious.

I focus on her even more intently. She is not entirely human. I can also sense an invisible bond; she is bonded to another vampire.

I reflect briefly on this detail but I still feel drawn to her. As I make my way downstairs, I summon up my power of persuasion and will her two vampire guards to turn the other way and stand at the opposite side of the room.

She is still swaying her hips to the music and I approach her from behind and place my hands on her hips. Her scent is intoxicating.

"You are a wonderful dancer," I whisper into her ear.

She turns around with a startled look on her face. She is perhaps the most beautiful woman that I have seen in a very long time.

"You seem startled." I say with an amused smile on my face. "Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Marius."

She finally speaks and tells me her name. "My name's Sookie."

I stand closer to her in order for her to hear me speak. "Well Sookie, I was wondering if you would care to dance with me."

I glance at her friend still dancing behind her and silently glamour a nearby male to join her.

She thinks about my request and quickly looks behind her to see that her friend is now dancing with someone else. She continues her deliberation in her mind before she finally speaks. "I don't think it's a good idea. I don't usually dance with strangers but thank you for your kind offer."

I realize that now I must use my glamour. With other women, it was never needed; they always agreed to do whatever I said. "But we are not strangers anymore. We know one another's names. Dance with me, just for a moment."

She looks at me intently and smiles, "Ummm, I don't think so. I can tell that you are trying to glamour me. It doesn't work on me. I also don't think it is a very good idea because I am bonded." She also adds. "To a vampire."

Now my curiosity with this woman swells. "I apologise. I do not think I have met someone who is immune to glamour. That is quite interesting. I will not bother you any longer. Have a good evening Sookie."

"Wait!" She suddenly grabs my arm as I turn to leave and a strange sensation flows through my body. I can sense she feels the same thing.

"Ummm.... You're not from around here are you?", she asks me.

I stand close to her once again and smile. "No I am Scandinavian. I come from the land which you humans refer to as Denmark."

She breathes me in and closes her eyes briefly. I can feel that strange sensation once more as she exhales on my chest. "Are you an old vampire?"

"Very old. I have lived for centuries."

"What brings you to Shreveport?"

"I am passing through this area with my child. But now I think you are the main reason why I am in Shreveport."

She looks even more deeply into my eyes. I can feel this strange pull to her as though she is glamouring me. I lean forward towards her face and hope that she doesn't stop me.

As our faces and lips are only mere inches away from each other, her friend interrupts.

"Sookie! Let's go back to my room and party some more! My new friend Josh here is coming too!"

Sookie jumps back away from me. Her face is suddenly flushed and alarmed.

"Hey your _new friend _can come along too. We're at the Vanir Hotel, room 722." Sookie's friend adds.

"Tara!" Sookie sternly yells. I can tell she is disappointed in her friend's behaviour and in her own.

"Thank you for your offer. Ladies, I bid you goodnight." I walk out of the club, not completely satisfied, but more content than I have been in a very long time.

Sookie's POV:

I can only form three words in my brain as I watch that gorgeous vampire saunter off. _Oh. My. God._

His ass is a beautiful piece of work like Eric's. He said he was from Scandinavia and that he was very old. I wonder if he was a Viking too. If so, then did all Viking men have such beautiful asses? His scent was so yummy and masculine! Oh my god, we were this close to kissing! What was wrong with me? It must be the alcohol, of course that's the only reason why.... Yeah Sookie delude yourself into believing that.

My thoughts are interrupted by Tara yelling and spitting into my ear that she wants to leave now. She drank way more than I did and she is barely able to stand still.

As we are leaving the club, me and Tara get into Clint's car. Savannah stops Tara's new friend Josh from jumping in and quickly we drive off.

"Sookie, tell him to go back! That was absolutely rude!" Tara is practically seething now in the back seat with me.

"Tara, honey, I think you would probably regret something tomorrow when you woke up if he came with us." I say soothingly.

"Sookie... you have no idea how difficult things are. I mean a baby and marriage and all these responsibilities.... I mean I've got no freedom and barely have any time for fun anymore." Suddenly she is crying now.

She continues to cry all the way up to her room. But as soon as we enter her room, her faces becomes paler.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!," she says running into the bathroom, closing it behind her.

I knock on the door and ask her if she is alright. I can hear her vomiting and tells me that she is ok.

I just notice that I am now sober. I guess Tara's crying and all the dancing at the club sobered me up. The guards are waiting for me outside the door.

Tara's room has a balcony so I step outside for some air and also to check messages on my phone.

Eric has sent me one text.

_Lover, I'm almost done here. See you at home soon. E_

I start typing in a response, but suddenly feel a wave of guilt. Should I tell him about the vamp I met tonight? I am lost in my thoughts until a voice speaks to me which causes me to jump.

"So this is where the after party is?"

It's the gorgeous vampire from earlier but he is on the other side of the railing and smiling at me.

I walk up to him and look over, "You can fly?"

He continues to hover, "Yes. You don't seem as shocked as I would have expected."

"Yeah, I've met a vampire who can fly as well." I say but for some reason I don't mention that it is my bonded who can fly.

"Really? There is only a few of us that can."

Suddenly he hovers higher and lands on the balcony. He looks into the room.

"Where are your friends?"

"Tara is in the bathroom and that guy she was with is not my friend. Just met him at the same moment when you did." This vampire is making me nervous, but in a good way. "Yeah I think the after party is cancelled. Not that I wanted to have one, I mean you still are welcome here if you wanted to stay. Not that you have to stay, you can leave anytime of course. Not that I want you to leave...." I can't seem to stop myself from rambling.

"Sookie," he finally interrupts me. "I only came here to see you." His smile is making me melt. I take a quick glance at his muscular chest. I can tell even through his polo shirt that he has lean muscles and no body fat. Part of me just wants to tear it off him. Ok wait, what was I doing before?

He stands even closer to me like he did at the club and looks at me attentively. And just like that my cell rings. He glances at the phone in my hand and leans in closer. At first I think that he is going to kiss me on the mouth, but suddenly he reaches for my hand and gives it a quick kiss. "I'll see you sometime again in the near future, goodnight Sookie."

"Goodnight Marius." I say breathlessly and just like that he is gone. I almost forget about the ringing phone in my hand.

I look at my phone and it's Eric.

"Hi" I try to say as normal as possible.

"Sookie what's wrong? There have been moments in the past 25 minutes where I have not felt you."

I can hear the worry and irritation in his voice. Wait, did I shut off the bond while I was with Marius? Eric doesn't give me time to think about it.

"I'm coming to get you now," he says.

"No! I mean you don't have to. I'm in Tara's room and the Clint and Savannah are standing outside the door. I'll go home now. I love you and miss you."

"I love and miss you as well, Sookie." We both hang up at the same time.

I quickly go back into the room just as Tara is coming out of the bathroom. She looks ill and I give her a quick hug goodbye and tell her to call me tomorrow.

I walk out the room to my waiting bodyguards who then take me home. On the drive home I form a string of questions in my head. Who was he? How did I shut off the bond without knowingly doing it? Why did I react so strongly to him? Should I tell Eric? I know for sure he would be jealous and angry. He might even take it out on Clint and Savannah. I would feel guilty about that, seeing as I was never in any danger. That leads me to another question, how did he get past my guards at the club?

I try to push all those questions aside for tonight and decide to think more about them during the day while Eric is resting.

I wonder where he went....

Marius' POV:

As I land in front of Marten's plane, my thoughts are only of Sookie. I can still taste her skin on my lips. She is definitely not just human. Faerie maybe?

I walk into the jet just as Marten is finishing up his conference call. He stands up and slightly bows to me. We speak in Old Norse. "Father."

I place my hand on his shoulder. "How was your meeting?"

"It went well. Northman just wanted to see how I was and assure that he still had my support."

"Why does he need your support?"

"He wants to be a king."

Another vampire with political ambitions. When Marten had first told me he desired to be a king, I was disappointed. I had hoped that he would want to lead the same life as me. I was at first stubborn to allow him, but like any other father, I eventually chose to support him with what he wanted to do.

"Did you find a good meal?", he asks me.

"Yes and she was perfect. Too perfect to devour." I amuse.

Marten smiles. "Do you want to me to go get her and bring her with us?"

"No," I say as I look out the airplane window, "She is bonded. I would assume her bonded vampire would come after us and then we would have to kill him. She probably would not like that." I smile back at him. "Tell your pilots we are ready to leave."

Marten goes to the cockpit and informs them to takeoff.

I take a seat and ponder what I should do in the immediate future.


	3. Chapter 3

Sookie's POV:

_I can do this, I can d_o _this, I can do this.... _Words that I am chanting in my head over and over.

I cannot believe I let her convince me to come here. She had initially told me she wanted to go on a 'friends date' since she heard that I went out with Tara a few weeks ago. I was expecting fun and maybe a few good laughs, but not this. This time Eric was a lot more willing to let me go since it was Pam that was taking me out.

Someone starts banging on the door and it's Pam. "Sookie are you ready yet? We can't wait all night!"

I suddenly feel irritated. "Give me another damn minute!"

Here I am on a Thursday night, standing inside a health spa place, in a bathrobe getting ready to undergo a delicate procedure. I breathe in deeply one last time and go to open the door.

Pam walks in with an older looking Asian woman.

"She is going to do it." Pam tells me. She looks at the woman. "Sue, this is Sookie. Sookie, this is Sue."

"Hello." I tell her, my facial expressions becoming even more worrisome.

"Sukie, do not worry. Everything will be fine. I done this many times. Pam comes here all the time to do this." I can't help but probe her mind and I can tell that she is being sincere. But I also see images of many clients, even men, screaming and crying.

"Are you **sure** Eric is going to like this?" I ask Pam one last time.

She rolls her eyes at me, "Absolutely, now quit with your fucking worries. He is going to love it when he sees it."

I take my time moving to lie on the table. Sue stands over me and shifts my robe up to my waist. I lift my head slightly and notice that Pam is still in the room.

"Are you going to stand there and watch?" I asked her with an irritated tone.

"Yes, Eric told me to stay with you at all times," giving me a slight grin. I roll my eyes at her and lay my head on the table once more.

Sue starts applying the talcum powder to my private region. _Okay this might not be too bad. _I then see her dip a wooden stick into a small bowl. She applies it one side of the front part of my private area. I can feel the hot wax there and I start to tense up.

"You have to relax Sukie or else it hurt more." She tells me.

I nod as she applies a cloth strip to the wax. I take one last gulp and suddenly she rips off the cloth.

For a brief second I am shocked, then the pain hits me full force.

"FUCK! FUCK! SHIT! SHIT! That fucking hurts!" I continue to yell profanities as my eyes start to tear up. I look up at Pam and see that she is covering her mouth, trying to hide her laugh.

Sue goes to add more hot wax to the stick, but I get off the table before giving her the chance to apply it on me. "Sukie, we not done yet."

"Oh yes we are!" I walk to the bathroom across the room and shut the door.

I splash some cold water on my face.

"Oh come on Sookie. You've been staked, beaten, and tortured, and you're going to let a Brazilian wax job defeat you?" Pam is trying to reason with me through the door.

I had heard once from someone that a Brazilian wax was just as painful as giving birth. If it's that painful, then dear god, I am never having kids.

"Pam you better get my damn clothes now or else!" I yell back at her angrily.

Pam knocks on the door and I open it. She is holding my clothes and phone in her hand.

"It's Eric." She tells me.

"Sookie I felt your pain. Are you alright?" He asks.

Eric is at his office this evening working. I let out a sigh. "Yes I'm fine."

"The only thing Pam said was that 'beauty is pain', what did she mean by that?"

I can't help but smile. "I think she is referring to the beauty treatments that women go through in order to look good."

"You don't need any type of beauty treatment Lover. You are always beautiful to me no matter what."

I smile again. "I totally agree with you Eric. So no more treatments for me, not ever. I should get ready to go. I'll see you at home baby. I love you." Making a kissing sound to the phone.

"I love you too."

I put my clothes on and walk out to the lobby where Pam is waiting with Sue.

"That will be $64.56 Sukie." She tells me.

I look at her with my mouth open and then at Pam.

"You actually expect _me _to pay for this? And at the full price I might add!" I yell at Pam.

"Sue doesn't charge by the wax strip Sookie." Pam dryly replies. "And besides, if you had finished it, I would have gladly paid."

I start to get even angrier. I whip out my card and pay for an incomplete wax.

We get into her car and for the first ten minutes of the drive, we are both silent.

"Come on Sookie. It's not that painful. I've been going to Sue for years."

I am still fuming, staring out the side window. "Why would you need to get a Brazilian wax regularly anyway? Wouldn't your hair grow back in like minutes?" I spat.

She turns to look at me. "It takes the _hair down there_ to grow back in two hours, sometimes three. I always go to see Sue a half hour before a hot sex date."

She continues on, "You know Sookie, I've never seen a human's face go as red as yours did after she ripped off the cloth. And now only a portion of your pussy region is hairless. We can go back to my place and I can tweeze out the rest of your pubic hair?"

I turn to look at her, ready to smash her head against the steering wheel. "My privates and especially my pubic hair are no longer a topic for discussion. If you ever do bring it up again, we are no longer friends, do I make myself clear?"

She smirks at me, "Crystal. I just wanted to have some 'two good friends girl bonding' time."

"There are many other ways for two_ girl friends_ to bond Pam."

"Really? Care to enlighten me?", she asks.

"Well for starters watching one friend go through torture with the aid of hot wax doesn't qualify as friend bonding!"

She continues to smirk at me. "I see. But my intentions were good. If I am not mistaken, friends help each other especially with their sex life. I just wanted to help my friend keep her man interested in her body."

"There is nothing wrong with my body! Eric is still keenly interested in it!" I snarl back.

"Oh, well then. Sorry, my mistake." I can tell her apology isn't the least bit sincere.

A little while later, we reach our next destination: A movie theatre.

"Seriously Pam? You want to watch a movie?" I look at her confused. Somehow I have never pictured Pam as the type who enjoyed watching movies, or even television for that matter.

"I read that it is customary for 'girl friends' to watch chick flicks together. That's why I've chosen some odious movie called 'Letters to Juliet'."

Just as I expected, I pay for my own movie admission at which Pam also informs me that friends usually pay for themselves when they go out together. I also get my own popcorn and water.

The theatre is somewhat full, so Pam glamours some teenage girls in the middle to get up and move away. I glare at her as we take our seats.

Throughout the movie, Pam scoffs at the romantic parts and continues to tell me her observations of certain scenes. I start to notice other people glaring at us and whisper to Pam to be silent. Finally a man sitting in front of us speaks up.

"Lady would you be quiet! I'm trying to watch this movie, not hear your running commentary!" A few people clap at what he says.

Pam frowns at the man and her fangs pop out, "I paid the same amount of money as you to watch this piece of shit movie. So I can do or say whatever the hell I want."

The man is clearly frightened and turns around. A few others are scared too. For the rest of the movie nobody looks at us and Pam continues with her ongoing commentary.

After the movie, she drops me off at home. As soon as I enter the house, I head to the living room and plop down on the sofa. I look at my watch and see that Eric should be home in less than a half hour. I can feel the voids outside the house. Savannah and Clint must be patrolling the grounds. During the day if I go out, I can never tell who is watching me, because the were guard assigned to me that day usually just follows me, but never approaches me. The only thing I know is that he/she is a member of Alcide's pack. As a friend to the pack, Alcide felt that it was his obligation to protect me following the 'fairy incident'. Eric at first protested, but after strenuous negotiations, he finally agreed. I didn't want Eric to spend more money on me with extra security during the day as my vampire bodyguards were already very expensive. Besides, having a daytime guard who appeared to be relatively absent was also a bonus for me, I hated that feeling of a babysitter watching over me all the time.

I think back to that night I had with Tara and that vamp. I was never able to figure out the answers to the various questions in my head. I also chose not to tell Eric because for some reason I knew that Marius would not have harmed me and I didn't want to get Savannah and Clint into trouble. I had told him that I had shut down the bond briefly because I felt a little bit overwhelmed and I didn't want to disturb him when he was working. It was technically the truth. Eric knew that I occasionally shut off my end of the bond when I didn't want him to feel my emotions so he didn't question it further. Which leads me to my next question: how did I shut it without consciously knowing it? Eric once told me that he wasn't entirely sure what would happen over time between a bonded vampire and human. I guess I shall just chalk that up as another new development between us.

During these past few weeks I also think about the obvious attraction I felt towards that vamp I had met. His good looks and sensual appeal would probably allure anyone, but I know that I love Eric wholeheartedly and would never do anything to seriously jeopardize our relationship. Besides I don't think that I will be seeing him anytime soon anyway as he has more than likely left Shreveport and the surrounding area. Pam would definitely have told me if she had seen or heard about a hot vampire during the past few weeks. She talked about a gorgeous young looking blonde vamp that came to Fangtasia that very same night, but obviously that wasn't him. It is also apparent that I am the only one who can recall seeing him that night. Tara never mentioned anything about him the next day nor had the guards mentioned anything to Eric. I wonder if he glamoured Tara into forgetting him and maybe even the guards....

I can hear Eric's corvette pulling up in our driveway and right away the butterflies and happiness inside my heart and belly take over. I always feel this way every time I see him and hope that it never ends. As soon I hear the engine being turned off, Eric appears in front of me in an instant. That's one great thing about having a vampire lover. In a flash he has us in a sitting position on the sofa with me on his lap.

He starts kissing and nipping at my neck while murmuring, "How was your evening with Pam, Lover?"

Moaning to him I whisper, "Don't stop." I am so distracted by the sensation of his cool lips on my neck that I don't hear his question.

He doesn't heed my request and stops his attentions to my neck to look into my eyes, "Did you have fun tonight?"

"Yes, besides a few moments, the events of the evening were entertaining and interesting as it always is with Pam." This time it is my turn to kiss his neck. I find a spot and start sucking as hard as I can in an attempt to form a hickey. Obviously I am not that strong enough to bruise the skin, but I will most definitely try anyway. He groans in satisfaction. While I am doing that, his hand dips under my dress and he starts caressing and kneading my ass while kissing my shoulder. I absolutely love these moments when we just make out like two teenagers. I never had a boyfriend in high school, so I am making up for lost time.

Twenty minutes later we stop our attentions to each other's bodies in order to cuddle and talk.

He holds my hand, slowly rubbing it while the other holds onto my hip. "You smell and taste like popcorn my love."

I smile at him, "Yeah I ate some when I was at the movies with Pam. I probably shouldn't have gone out tonight though. I should have worked on my paper for my English class. It's due on Monday."

He thinks about that for a moment. "Are you handling your classes well?"

"Yeah, if I can continue to keep up with the pace, maybe I can add a few more classes to my schedule."

Again he takes a moment to think about what I had just said. I can sense hesitation and guilt through our bond. "Baby what's the matter?" I ask cupping my hand against his cheek.

Hesitantly he speaks, "I have been busy. With work and travelling. I am missing a great deal of precious time with you. I should know those details about your progress in college. I should be there when you are studying or writing, aiding you and supporting you. Helping you with your language courses. I am sorry."

Awww... I can feel tears forming in my eyes. "Baby you support me so much. More than you will ever know. I wouldn't be here without you. You know more details about me than probably most boyfriends do about their girlfriends. And yes, I miss you terribly when you are gone. And maybe we are missing out on time when we are apart, but I am coming to terms with that. I understand that you need to work and whatever you are doing now, I know you wouldn't go out of town unless it was absolutely necessary. I know there are some things you can't tell me, and I am ok with that. As long as your life isn't in danger."

He leans forward towards my cheek to kiss away a tear that escapes my eye. "I swear Sookie, I will tell you what I am doing very soon. I am ensuring our survival and happiness."

"That's good enough for now." I smile at him. He is being high-handed. The old Sookie would have stormed off in a fit of rage for his high-handedness. But then again the last time that the old Sookie ignored his high-handedness, she was attacked, tortured, and almost irreparably damaged.

"Besides, when you are away on your trips, it gives me the chance to spend some time with my other boyfriends," I tease.

"Really Lover? Well then, your other boyfriends won't be able to come around tonight or any other night ever again when they _accidently_ lose an important part of their anatomy," he growls while nipping at my earlobe.

"Lover let's go to bed now", he tells me while picking me up and carrying me to our bedroom chamber.

_Yes, let's do._

He sets me down in front of our bed and slowly lifts my dress over my head. He takes my bra off and then quickly takes his own clothes off.

He lifts me up and sets me on our bed gently.

He lies down with me, above me without pressing his weight on me. We slowly kiss on the mouth for several minutes, before he starts kissing his way down my body. He makes a stop at my neck, then at my breasts, giving each of them equal attention. He traces his tongue down until he reaches my navel, where he slowly circles it with his tongue. I try to keep my eyes open to watch him, but I am burning in ecstasy. I close my eyes and arch my back while moaning out his name. He moves even lower and slowly removes my panties while still kissing and circling his tongue around my bikini line.

"Oh god Eric, that feels so good," still closing my eyes. A few seconds later, I become suddenly aware that his tongue isn't against my skin anymore. I open my eyes and look down.

My lust quickly turns into mortification.

I can feel my face turn tomato red as I see him staring at my botched Brazilian wax.

"Is this the latest fashion in women's pubic hair design?", his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looks up at me.

"Sorry about that. I'll go to the bathroom and fix it." I mumble as I try to move myself off the bed.

But he holds my hips down in place. "I am guessing that this is the source for the pain that I felt earlier?"

I close my eyes unable to look at him. "Yeah."

"Lover, open your eyes." I open my eyes and look down at him. "I meant what I told you on the phone, no matter what, you're always beautiful to me."

All I can think is _aww_... "Did Pam put you up to this?" He asks.

"Yeah, it was her stupid idea!" My earlier anger starting to come back.

He chuckles. "Do you want me to punish her?"

I sigh and smile down at him. "No, it's my fault for going through with it. Do you me to do something about it? You know like shave the rest of it?"

He laughs. "No, unless you prefer to do that. Though if you wanted to, maybe you could shape it to form an E."

I giggle, "I don't think so. I'm never applying wax to this part of my body ever again."

It doesn't take very long for my lust to return when he starts to rub my remaining curls with his palm, then along my already moistened folds causing me to moan yet again. He sticks two fingers into my vagina, slowly moving them in and out. He then resumes with applying his tongue to my skin as he suckles and flicks my nub. I am getting close to an orgasm as he moves his fingers faster. My inner muscles tense around his fingers when I reach the peak of my climax.

While I am coming down from my high, he positions himself between my thighs waiting for my breath to become steadier.

As soon as my breath is steady, he pushes into me and I can't help but gasp. Even though we've had quite a lot of sex over the years, I can never get used to that special sensation when he fills me completely. He continues his steady pace, pumping in and out of me for several minutes. I push at his shoulders, an indication to him that I want to be on top. He flips us over and I am now straddling him. I ride him slowly, then I gradually pick up pace as I feel my second orgasm building. He puts his hands on my hips in order to help me ride him faster. I can feel through our bond that both of our orgasms are getting close. Suddenly he sits up and plunges his fangs into my neck. It causes us both to go over the edge and I can feel his seed spilling inside me.

He licks the wounds after he stops feeding and flips us back to our original position, with him still inside me. I can already feel him hardening again as I try to catch my breath.

"Almost ready, Lover? ,he asks, smirking at me.

"Give me a couple of more seconds, you're insatiable!" I tell him while still panting.

He kisses my cheek and whispers, "Only for you."

We have sex several more times that night before I pass out from exhaustion.

I wake up past 11 in the morning in Eric's arms once again. After wiggling my body out of his embrace, I go to my nightstand to find my note.

_Sookie, I forgot to tell you something before you distracted me. _I roll my eyes at that. _There will be a cocktail party this evening at our hotel. De Castro and some other guests will be there. I know that you would prefer not to go, but it is important to me that you are by my side. I know you wanted to go to Bon Temps today, but please hold off your visit until tomorrow. E._

I think over his request. This is the first time in awhile that he has asked me to come to a 'business party'. He's kept me out of everything that deals with his businesses and especially his official vampire business for the past three years, so it must be very important for me to attend. I doubt that my safety is at risk as I know that Eric would never put me in jeopardy. I'm not particularly comfortable being around De Castro, and especially Madden, whom I can guarantee will be there. I look down at my 'sleeping' vampire. I can't help but to lie back down and spoon him from behind. I kiss his shoulder and rub his muscular arm. All of a sudden I feel a slight tinge in our bond: comfort and love. Even though my vampire is technically dead at the moment, he can still feel my presence and love. I continue to snuggle behind him and try to move even closer to him. I eventually fall back to sleep.

A/N: Hey everyone, this chapter lacked an Eric POV which to me is unfortunate. I don't know about anyone else, but I always enjoy reading Eric's POV in other people's stories and they write it so wonderfully. The thing about that is I am having a hard time putting myself in an 'Eric frame of mind', LOL. I mean on True Blood, he is definitely a lot more colder than in the books. So I think I might try to find a balance between both interpretations which other people have done so well. Thus I will take a couple days to ponder that thought and take another stab at writing his POV for the next chapter. He's a huge part of my story and his POV is definitely important. Goodnight!He


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello, sorry for the lateness. I went through like two previous drafts but I wasn't satisfied with either so I trashed both. I'm not entirely satisfied with this one, but I decided to go with it because I'll be back to being busy in real life again in a few days. BUT I will still continue to write this story. I'm aiming to have a new chapter every 4 to 5 days. Good night!

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Eric's POV:

I groggily open my eyes and am immediately disappointed. My bonded, my wife, is not in bed with me, but I can still feel her presence close by. I am pleased that she complied with my request to stay home. A few weeks ago I received a call from De Castro telling me that he was coming for a visit. He wanted to check to see how things were doing in the state and had ordered all the sheriffs in the area to be in Shreveport. Last night was the meeting between us and him. Tonight he wanted a social gathering. I quickly arranged it with the help of event planners. He also wanted to see Sookie tonight as well. I had given him every possible excuse that I could think of but still he ordered me to bring her. In the beginning I had told him that her mental and physical health had deteriorated to the point that she may not be able to recuperate from the injuries that she sustained. Because she had saved his life once, he repaid that debt by allowing her the time she needed to get well. But now, he felt that a sufficient amount of time had passed for her to recover. I also did not want to have her there with me tonight because I am not sure if she is ready to become involved in my world again. But I also realize that with the way things are progressing, she will be a part of my world very soon.

I can sense that she is in the adjoining room, the study. I can also sense the sun blazing outside as it is not yet sunset, but I am protected from its harmful rays in our light-tight underground chamber which Sookie calls 'our hideyhole'. I quickly rise from our bed and make my way to the study. I find Sookie there sitting at the second desk with her laptop and an array of paper and books covering it. She is so immersed in her school work that she does not notice me looking at her. I take a moment to absorb her beauty. I can tell that she has just had a shower as her golden hair is still damp and she is wearing a robe. I watch as she chews on the end of a pencil while reading a piece of paper. She then sets the pencil and paper down, and goes to start typing on her laptop.

"Getting a lot of work done?"

She looks up at me and smiles, "Yes, I'm writing a paper on post-structuralism for my English class. So far I've got two pages but I'm not sure if it's any good." She goes back to chewing on her pencil with a look of anxiety.

I walk up to her and stand behind her to rub her shoulders. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure that it be fine once you complete it. If not, then I can always pay the instructor a visit and recommend to him the grade that you deserve?"

She laughs and puts her hand over mine and turns her head to look at me. "Is that your solution to every problem? Threaten or glamour everyone?"

I lean down to kiss her cheek, "Yes, and it has worked well me for over thousand years."

She in turn kisses my cheek. "I guess that's another one of our many differences. I should probably do more writing since we're going out tonight. I definitely don't want to be finishing this at the last minute."

"Alright my love, I am going take a shower and get some of my own work done before we leave." I start walking towards the bathroom when suddenly Sookie comes running up to me and embraces me from behind.

I can feel her light-feather kisses on my shoulder blade. "Thank you for the dress by the way. It's beautiful. Bobby delivered it a few hours ago."

I had ordered her a new dress a week ago for this occasion. I was glad that it arrived on time. I turned around and wrapped my arms around her. "There's no need to thank me. I am the one that is truly grateful." I leaned down to kiss her. Our kiss deepens and becomes even hungrier. I can smell her arousal and my hands automatically grip onto her butt.

She breaks away from our kiss for air.

"Lover, I think you need another shower," I whisper into her ear. She mischievously smiles and nods in agreement. "I guess my paper can wait another half hour or so."

An hour later after a delicious romp in the shower, we sit at our desks in the study. Sookie continues to type away on her laptop as I am going through the numbers and figures of our investments and earnings. I also call the event planner to make sure that everything is in order for tonight's party. I go through my emails while quickly glancing through my text messages on my phone till I stop on one particular text.

_Eric, I am here and can't wait to see you. Mon Amour._

I quickly glance over at Sookie who is still typing, then stare back at the message. I can feel fury rise up in me as I glower at the message.

"Is everything okay baby?," Sookie asks with a concerned look on her face.

"Everything is fine, just a small problem at the office. I need to go there before we go to the hotel." I smile at her reassuringly. She smiles back at me and goes back to her work.

I quickly type in a response to the text and rise from my chair. "Sookie, I'm going to go to my office quickly, I'll come back here and pick you up in about two hours."

She gets up from her chair as well and comes towards me. "Are you sure you are ok?", she asks while wrapping her arms around my waist.

I cup her face with my hands and give her a tender kiss. "Yes everything is fine. I need to take care of a few things before the party." I look into her eyes and can see that she is nervous for tonight. I have not yet told her why she needs to be at a party with me tonight.

I place her hand in mine. "Sookie, everything is going to be okay. De Castro and a few others are curious to see you again. They're not here to force you to use your telepathy."

She chews on her lower lip looking uncertain, "Madden's going to be there isn't he?"

I know she has never felt comfortable around him. "Yes he will be there, but do not worry. I will always be by your side should he ever get near you."

"Who else is going to be there?," she asks.

"De Castro, of course, members of his entourage and sheriffs from the surrounding area. Also Russell Edgington will be there tonight as well. He has a few things to discuss with me tomorrow." I can still feel her uneasiness. She is afraid De Castro is going to take her away. "Trust me, Lover. No one will harm you there." I send her my love and comfort.

She faintly smiles and tiptoes to kiss me on my lips. "I trust you of course. And don't worry, I won't disappoint or embarrass you. I won't act insubordinate and I will try and enjoy myself while schmoozing with vampire elite."

I laugh and place my hands on her waist. "You would never disappoint me in any way. And if I am ever unable to be with you, Pam or Savannah will be there."

Feeling satisfied with my response, she says, "Okay baby. You should probably go and get dressed." I give her a quick kiss and head to our walk-in closet.

I quickly put on my suit and run a brush through my hair. I come out just as Sookie is laying her dress on the bed. I come up to her from behind and untie her bathrobe.

"You are going to look so beautiful in that gown. Of course I still think you are even more beautiful when you are naked." I tease, rubbing my hand across her stomach.

She looks at me over her shoulder, "Oh really? Then I should probably just throw this dress in the garbage and go to the party naked. Don't you agree?"

I growl into her ear, "Then the party will quickly turn into a bloodbath if any other men see your naked body."

She spins around and lightly smacks me on the chest. "I was thinking, maybe I should just meet you at the hotel. Savannah and Clint can take me. It would save you time."

I think about her idea for a moment, "That would seem logical. Call me when you are leaving the house."

She nods, and I give her one last kiss before I leave. I make my way to the first floor and can sense that Savannah and Clint are outside the house patrolling. I go out there to tell them that they will be taking Sookie to the hotel. I get in my car and drive downtown to my office.

When I arrive at my office, my secretary Elena greets me. She is a tall, attractive, slim woman with long dark brown hair. She has been working for me for about two years. When I had first hired her, I was concerned that she would be attracted to me and naturally she was. The first few days, she sent me some not so subtle hints that she was attracted to me and wanted to have an affair. I quickly dispelled that fantasy as I threatened her to not address me in any inappropriate manner from now on. She abided my order. But one day when Sookie came to my office for a visit, she was perturbed when she got close to her. I softly asked her why she felt that way and she hesitantly told me about the thoughts and feelings that Elena felt for me. I was going to fire her immediately but Sookie objected. I decided that the next best thing to do was to glamour her to not have any more romantic feelings for me.

"Mr. Northman, a woman named Ms. Lefevre is in your office waiting for you. She said that you had an appointment with her," Elena tells me.

I walk into my office with my game face on and see her lying on my sofa with one hand above her head and the other stroking her right breast. She is wearing a purple satin evening gown that conforms to her slender body. Her long wavy strawberry blonde hair is covering her other breast. I can feel my fury rise.

"Hello Eric, care to come and sit with me?," she purrs.

That sofa will definitely be burned. I close the door and make my way to my desk. I need to play this cool.

"Your majesty, what can I do for you?," I ask in a neutral tone trying to withhold my anger.

She huffs, "Oh cut the bullshit Eric!" She stands up from the couch and slinks towards me. "I haven`t seen you in awhile Eric and I've been worried about you. So I thought I would come and see you. We have plenty of time this evening to become reacquainted with one another," she tells me in her sexiest tone.

I try to maintain my neutral tone without sounded aggravated, "Rosamund, I hardly believe that you have worried about me. I'm also very busy this evening. So if there was anything else you needed, then tell me now."

"You don't have time for pleasure? If I recall correctly, that was something you always made time for, especially when it came to me."

I decide to change the subject. "How is your husband? I have not talked to him in awhile."

She is still standing in front of my desk, this time rubbing the side of her breasts, waist, and hips suggestively. She rolls her eyes at the question regarding her husband. "Ulric is always Ulric." She spats. "He is busy fucking every man and woman in his country while forgetting about his duties as a king. I didn't come here to talk about him. I came to talk about us. Surely you have not forgotten all of our times together."

She is correct in that assertion unfortunately. "No, I have not forgotten. But that was a long time ago and we will never be together that way again. I am bonded to a human woman and she is my wife. Believe it or not I am quite faithful to her." I stare at her with serious intent in my eyes.

She stares back at me and I can see the jealousy in her eyes. She then smiles at me malevolently, "Yes I have heard that you have bonded yourself to a human telepath. And I have also heard that she is spoiled. That she has been tarnished by fairies."

The anger that I had been suppressing pours out of me and in my vampire speed, I have her by the neck, crushing her against my desk. I am seething. "Don't you ever speak that way about my wife. If I hear another word about my wife that comes from your mouth, I will slowly kill you and I can assure you, it will be painful. After that, I will feed your remains to vultures. Do I make myself clear?"

I loosen my grip slightly on her throat to hear her answer. "Let go of me Northman! Do not forget I am a queen and your existence will be forfeit if you hurt me!", she says in a coarse voice.

"Are we clear?," I ask her one more time in a low tone.

She grudgingly replies, "Yes."

I remove my hand from her neck. She lifts herself off my desk, while straightening out her hair and gown.

She is clearly livid. "Because of our past history Northman, I shall forget for the moment of what has transpired here. But make no mistake, if you ever touch me like that again, I guarantee that will be the last thing you will ever do. I have many friends Eric. Do not forget that." She then angrily storms out of my office.

I close my eyes in an effort to rein in my temper. For the next hour, I sit at my desk and do more work as well as take care of my sheriff duties.

After completing my various tasks, I head downstairs to the parking lot and drive off to my hotel. When I arrive, Sookie is not yet there. I wait patiently in the lobby for her while encountering a few colleagues who are heading up to the party on the top floor.

She eventually arrives with her bodyguards and I go to greet her by opening the car door.

She is breathtaking. I had chosen a white sequined, long gown with thin straps that hug her curves. Her naturally wavy hair is more curled and refined.

I can feel her nervousness and I kiss her cheek, "Relax, my love. You are absolutely beautiful tonight," I whisper against her cheek while sending her waves of lust.

She nervously laughs, "Like the way I look huh?" Her eyes are twinkling.

We make our way up to the top floor and the part is already in full swing. I can tell that the event planner has done a decent job. We walk into a dimmed room with thousands of sparkled lights across the ceiling. There are round tables covered with beige linen. There is also a buffet with human food and a bar stocked with alcohol and Royalty Blend. A live band is playing contemporary music and the dance floor is filled with humans. The other sheriffs and their associates are consorting around the room. By the looks of it, many are eyeing the humans and deciding which ones to take later.

As we walk closer to the center part of the room, I can feel the eyes of every vampire in the room gazing upon us. Sookie can feel it too. She is feeling even more nervous. I know the perfect way to calm her down.

I whisper into her ear, "Lover come dance with me."

She nods and I take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. The band is playing a lively song, but I take her into my arms and dance with her slowly. I can feel her already relaxing as she relaxes her head against my chest and rests her hands on my biceps. I look around the room and immediately notice that De Castro and Madden have not arrived yet.

After the dance, I lead her to a table in a near corner and we sit down. Just then Pam walks into the room with her date and comes to us.

"Master, Sookie, having a great time so far?", she asks while she and her date settle into chairs at our table.

"Pam, we just got here too." Sookie answers.

"Pammy, aren't ya going to introduce us all?" her brunette date asks.

"Maybe, if you exceed my expectations tonight," Pam dryly says.

"Oh what a pretty dress you are wearing!", the woman practically shrieks to Sookie.

Sookie smiles, "Thank you, yours is nice as well. My name is Sookie and this is Eric."

"Hi! I'm Madeline. Isn't this a great party or what!"

Sookie begins chatting with the overly eager woman. A waiter comes to take our drink order and I ask for a Royalty Blend and a gin and tonic for Sookie.

Several minutes later, De Castro walks in. He is flanked by his entourage. Madden on his right side and regrettably Rosamund is latched onto his left arm. She smirks at me. I motion to Pam for her and her date to leave the table.

I stand as De Castro, Madden and Rosamund come towards us.

"You majesty," I say as I bow. Sookie remains seated looking at De Castro and Rosamund.

"Northman", he acknowledges, then his eyes brighten when he sees Sookie, " Ahh Mizz Stackhouse, it is good to see you once again and very good to see that you are doing well." He walks towards her and kisses her hand.

"Uh Thank you sir." Sookie says.

"Mizz Stackhouse, you remember Victor?", she nods as he is still holding her hand, "I don't believe you have met Ms. Rosamund Lefevre. Northman knows her _very well_." I feel my anger rising once again, but now I know that I must control it and not react in any way.

Sookie looks at me confused, then plasters on her fake smile, "Hello Mr. Madden, nice to meet you Ms. Lefevre."

De Castro continues, "Rosamund, allow me to introduce Mizz Sookie Stackhouse, the famed telepath and Northman's bonded wife."

"Charmed," Rosamund sneers.

"You highness, please join us," I ask De Castro.

They settle around the table as I take my seat beside Sookie. De Castro sits on her other side while Rosamund sits across from me. Madden is across from Sookie. The waiter comes with our drinks and takes the orders of the others at our table.

De Castro begins asking Sookie questions about how she has been recovering these past three years. I listen while trying to ignore Rosamund's lusty gaze.

After awhile, she intervenes in their conversation. "Wow, Miss Stackhouse. It sounds like you have had a hard time in your young life." She comments.

Sookie looks towards Rosamund, "Umm Yes I guess you could say that. But Eric has helped me a lot."

"You're also married to Eric right? Tell me, what was your wedding like?", she continues.

Sookie looks at me and she is using her fake smile once again, "Umm, we didn't really have a formal wedding. But that is okay. I mean we're married and that is the most important thing."

She mildly smiles at Sookie, "Well then, I guess that is what Eric still owes you. A proper wedding. Don't you think so Eric?"

Everyone, including Sookie, turn their attention towards me. "Yes, she deserves a proper wedding. But like what Sookie said, we're married already and that is the important thing." I can feel a slight tinge of disappointment through our bond. Did she want to have a proper wedding?

De Castro speaks, "Well, the band is playing rather well. Northman, do you mind if I ask Mizz Stackhouse for a dance?"

_Yes, I do mind. _"Not at all your majesty."

We all rise as De Castro and Sookie leave their seats. He takes her hand, but before they go he says, "Northman, maybe you should ask Ms. Lefevre to dance as well."

Madden speaks, "Since everyone has dance partners, I think I shall go find my own." He walks away.

"Yes Eric let's dance," she smiles vindictively while taking my arm. I'm fighting the urge to rip her arm off.

I place one hand on her waist and the other in her left hand. I try to stand as far away from her as I could, but she moves her body against mine. I quickly glance at Sookie and see them gliding around the dance floor. I can hear their conversation and he is still asking her questions about her recovery.

I look down and Rosamund is looking at me fervently.

"Eric your telepath is a precious gem," she retorts.

"I warned you, do not speak of my wife." I say in my low smooth tone.

"Relax Eric, I haven't said anything negative about her. You know you used to be so much more fun, but now it's like the fun has been drained out of you. You need someone to bring that back," she says huskily, while rubbing my arms. Now I am barely able to control my temper. Thankfully Pam intrudes at just the right time.

"Your majesty, it has been a long time since we have seen each other. Dance with me please?" Pam asks her.

Sensing that I am no longer in a tolerant mood she replies, "Pam, of course, let us dance and tell me what _our_ Viking has been up to all these years."

I walk away from them and stand on the sidelines watching Sookie. She appears less nervous and is handling his questions and comments very well.

"I see your bonded is dancing with Felipe," a voice asks.

Standing beside me is Russell Edgington. I acknowledge him. "Yes your majesty."

"I'm going to go get a drink, I shall see you later Northman." I slightly bow to him.

Finally after several long tortuous minutes, Sookie and De Castro leave the dance floor and come towards me.

I take her arm and intertwine it with my own. "Thank you for allowing me to dance with your bonded Northman," he says. "I am going to be departing soon and I shall take my leave of the other sheriffs here. I look forward to seeing you again in one month's time in Las Vegas." I bow to him.

He looks at Sookie and takes her hand, "I hope to see you as well in my hometown," he then kisses her hand.

She nods, still plastering her fake smile on her face.

We sit down at our table. I hold her hands, gazing into her eyes. This time she gives me a genuine smile.

"We can head home soon, Lover." I tell her.

"Take your time Eric. I'm not very tired. I slept an extra few hours this morning beside you. I felt you. Even though you were 'sleeping'. I could feel your emotions through our bond for a brief moment."

I think about this momentarily. I try to recall this moment and I recollect a brief instant of feeling Sookie's love. Our bond must be growing. I kiss her on the lips.

We chat for a bit. Awhile later, Sookie tells me that she needs to take care of her human needs. I motion to Savannah to go with her. I sit at the table watching Madden flattering a blonde bartender. She is vaguely similar to Sookie and I find myself immediately disgusted with his actions. De Castro is speaking to the sheriff of Area 8. I see that Pam has returned to her date and is speaking to Russell. I can sense a familiar presence behind me. Rosamund places her hands on my shoulders and leans down to whisper in my ear.

"I will definitely be seeing you again soon, _mon amour. _I am going to put in a good word for you with Felipe." She winks at me as she walks off towards De Castro.

Just then, he, Rosamund, and his entourage leave.

Sookie retreats from the bathroom and comes to sit down with me once more. Pam and Russell come to join us as well, as Pam motions to her date to go dance by herself. We speak with each other as the party winds down.

"I see that Rosamund has made her way to this side of the world," Russell comments.

"Yes, I was surprised to see her here," I say.

"You know I have heard that she was in New York _visiting _Marten for the past few days," he continues, "I also heard through the rumour mill that she is looking for a husband from this side once her marriage to Ulric is over."

Rosamund's one hundred year royal marriage was ending to Ulric, the king of Germany, in a few months. "If she thinks that Marten will marry her, she is gravely mistaken. I've known him for a long time and trust me, he definitely wouldn't choose her for a wife," I retort.

"She is still married?" Sookie says. Russell nods. "She's looking for a new husband already... _She sure doesn't let the grass grow under her feet," _She says in a low voice.

Russell laughs, "Indeed she doesn't, Miss Stackhouse. Maybe she will have more luck with Felipe, Northman."

"I guess time will tell," I reply.

We continue to chat and Russell takes his leave awhile afterwards as well. Pam and her date leave and I tell the bodyguards to head back to our home. I can feel that Sookie is getting drowsier as we are waiting for the valet to bring my car around. She starts to drift off to sleep during the drive home. When we arrive at our home I carry her down to our chamber. I set her on our bed and remove her dress. She crawls to her side of the bed as I quickly take off my own clothes. I was hoping to have sex with her before she went to sleep, but I can tell she is exhausted. I decide to hold her instead as she drifts off.

"Eric," she says sleepily.

"Yes my love?" I tenderly ask.

"Did you date her?"

I momentarily think about my response, "Yes but very briefly. That was a long time ago."

She looks up at me, "Is there a woman on the planet you haven't been with?"

"Hmmm... I haven't been to Mongolia. So there's a new batch of women I could possibly date." I tease.

She softly laughs, "Goodnight Eric, and this conversation isn't over." She tells me while yawning.

I kiss her forehead as she drifts away.


	5. Chapter 5

Sookie's POV:

I watch the trees and the houses pass us by as we are driving down the highway towards Bon Temps. It is an absolutely beautiful sunny day. The weather man was so wrong when he said that it was going to be raining. I am glad that I chose to wear my white empire waist sundress. I look over at Alcide who is driving and I smile at him as he smiles back. Today he is the one who is 'babysitting' me and he is taking me back to Bon Temps for the afternoon in his truck. I don't mind that Alcide is here with me today, but I look forward to the day when I am not constantly watched over by someone. But knowing my luck, that day will never come.

We don't talk during the drive which is alright with me. I am content to enjoy the ride and listen to the radio which is playing classic country music. This also gives me the opportunity to think about next week when me and Eric go to Las Vegas to see Felipe De Castro. It was three weeks ago at the party when he basically told Eric that my attendance in Vegas was mandatory. I am definitely not crazy about going there. I can't help but think about the possibility that I might never leave that place. They could hurt Eric or someone else that I love to force me to stay. What if the huge change that I have been sensing is going to occur over there? There are many horrible possibilities. I feel like I am heading into the lion's den. My thoughts become interrupted by Alcide.

"What's wrong Sook? You look like you're thinking about a million different things," Alcide says.

I quickly wipe the worried expression off my face and plaster on my smile, "Oh it's nothing Alcide. I'm just anxious about my first trip out of the state in years. Vegas is going to be so much fun!" I try to lie, but I know Alcide can see straight through it.

"Come on Sook. I've known you for a long time and it's okay to be worried. Believe me when I say I got your back. Me and my other pack members will always be with you during the day." He tells me reassuringly. Alcide and three other members of his pack were going with us to act as my daytime guards.

I sigh, "I know Alcide. I totally trust you. I just wish I didn't have to go. I just wish that me and Eric can go back to that bubble that we created when it was just me and him." I lean my head back against the headrest.

The rest of the drive is silent.

A half hour later we arrive at my old farmhouse. Not much has changed about it despite that fact that no one has been living in it for a few years. The exterior of the house is still in good condition. The grass is well trimmed. Despite my protests, Eric insisted on paying a company to maintain the grounds and to keep it secure from vandalism. But eventually I came around and thanked him for that. He knew that I would become heartbroken if I had let my family's house slowly deteriorate.

The truck halts to a stop in the driveway and I step out. I take a moment to savour my surroundings before Alcide and I make our way to the porch. Just as I am rummaging through my purse for the key, I hear another truck pulling up. I quickly turn around and see Jason climbing out of his truck.

"Jason!," I yell happily.

"Hey Sook!" He yells as he is jogging up toward me. He lifts me into a hug.

He sets me down, "Where's Charlotte?," I ask.

"She's at home taking a nap. She said her feet and back hurt too much," he says. Figures. I kind of knew she wouldn't come. For some reason none of the women that my brother gets involved with ever develop a liking towards me.

"Oh well she's going to miss out on my pecan pie," I lament.

I find my keys in my purse and open the front door while Alcide and Jason go to the truck to retrieve the cooler and the pie that I had made earlier this morning. I try to come here at least once every month, so the dust build-up isn't that bad. When I moved out, Tara and I covered up all the furniture with large white linens. I make my way to the kitchen and turn on the tap in the sink. I pour some old dish soap in it to clean some plates, cutlery, and cups from the cupboard. Jason and Alcide come into the kitchen with the stuff and put it on the table.

"Jason I hope you remembered to bring your barbeque grill," I tell him sternly.

"It's in the back of my truck," he says.

While I am washing the dishes, Alcide and Jason move the picnic table to the front lawn and set up the grill. I can hear another vehicle pulling up into the driveway. I make my way to the front porch and see Tara, JB, and their daughter getting out of their car.

"Hey Tara!," I tell her. I give her a quick hug. JB is holding their daughter and comes toward us.

"I think she missed her godmother," JB tells me while handing her to me.

"Hello, sweet angel," I coo to the little girl. I was honoured when Tara asked me to be her godmother.

"Hi, auntie Sookie," she smiles at me and clasps her little arms around my neck. I relish the moment. Being a godmother may be the closest thing to me ever having children.

"Need any help in the kitchen Sookie?," Tara asks me.

"Umm, yeah," I tell her. I set Emily on her feet and watch as she runs towards Jason and Alcide on the front lawn. JB follows her.

I finish drying the dishes while Tara prepares tosses the salad in a large bowl. I also season the steaks and fill a pitcher with water and lemonade mixture.

Jason comes walking in, "Boy am I hungry," he states.

"Then make yourself useful," I tell him as I hand him the plate of seasoned steaks. He takes them outside.

I sit down at the table and watch Tara as she is still mixing the salad.

"Buy me something good in Las Vegas," she says to me smiling.

I smile back at her. "You bet I will. I'll buy something nice for Emily too." My gaze lingers towards the kitchen window.

She looks at me, "What's wrong Sookie? You've been acting strange for the past month."

I sigh. "Oh it's nothing Tara, really. I'm just tired from my school work. Being at home most the time is starting to make me feel antsy. I think I might start looking for a job."

Her eyes brighten, "That's great Sookie. I think you need to work. I doubt that Eric would let you work at Merlotte's again. Maybe you can come work for me!"

I smile at her, "Thanks for the offer Tara. But I'm not too sure if working in a clothing store is what I want to do. I enjoy reading and writing. I was thinking about finding work in a library or bookstore. Something like that."

"Well the offer will always remain open," she tells me.

"Thanks Tara."

We take the salad, the lemonade, and the dishes outside to the picnic table. Jason and JB are taking turns cooking the pieces of steak. Alcide is playing catch with Emily. Tara and I settle down at the table and chat more.

Another truck pulls up and this time it's Sam.

"Hey Sam!," I yell. The others wave and greet him as well.

I get up from the table and let him hug me. "Hey Sookie, you look really good. Sorry I'm late."

"Oh you're not late. The steaks aren't ready yet." He lets me go and sits down at the table. Alcide joins us eventually as well. They tell me the latest Bon Temps news and Alcide tells us about what's going on with his business. We also keep an eye on Emily as she runs around the yard picking flowers and chasing bugs.

A little while later, the steaks are done. I hand everyone a plate and we line up in front of Jason for a piece of steak. After that Sam goes around the table with the salad bowl and gives everyone a portion.

"I made Emily some macaroni salad. I'll just go and get it from the cooler," I tell Tara as I run into the house to get it. I can hear her thanking me.

We all sit around the table eating, laughing, and sharing jokes. After we finish our meal, I get up to fetch the pecan pie, but Sam offers to get it for me instead.

We all finish off the pie and now we are all full and feeling lazy. Emily has fallen asleep on JB's chest. JB decides to take her home when Sam offers Tara a ride.

After they leave we sit around the table and continue to talk.

"Thanks for coming guys," I tell them.

"It's no trouble Sookie. We all love you," Tara tells me, as she rubs my arm.

"I just wanted to thank you all for everything. Not just for today and coming here, but for everything. For being there for me when I was recovering, for being patient with me. You guys are like family to me and mean as much to me as Jason does," I can feel the tears forming behind my eyes, but I hold them back.

"It's no sweat Sook. You're my sister and I'll always be there for you," Jason says, I can hear the emotion in his voice.

"I love you Jas. I'm gonna use the bathroom. I think I drank too much lemonade," I say with a laugh.

I head into the house and use the bathroom. I wipe the tears away that had escaped my eyes. After I finish I head out and Sam is standing in the foyer.

"Tell me what's wrong Sookie," he says in a serious tone.

I gather up the energy to smile, "Nothing's wrong Sam. I'm just feeling tired, that's all."

"Really?," he says, "Then why did it sound like you were giving your last speech or something?"

I sigh and rub my brow, "Sam," is all I say.

"Is there something going wrong with Eric?," he says with a slight angry tone.

"No!," I almost yell. "There is nothing going on with Eric," I say calmly. "Just trust me Sam. Everything is alright. I'm not in any danger. I haven't been for the last three years."

"You know you can trust me chere. If there is anything you need, I'll be there for you." He says and gives me another hug.

"I know Sam."

We head out to the yard. Tara and Alcide are cleaning off the table. Jason is loading his barbeque onto his truck. Afterwards Tara offers to help me wash the dishes, but I decline her offer. I say goodbye to her, Sam, and Jason.

Alcide and I watch them as they drive off and we head back into the house. I begin washing the dishes and Alcide helps me by drying them. Afterwards, I tell him that I'm going to gather some things from my old room. He goes into the living room and makes a phone call.

I remove the white linen covering from my bed. I lie down for a moment and close my eyes. Being here in this house is both comforting and upsetting. During the first four months after the fairy incident, this house was my sanctuary and my prison. I was afraid to leave the house. When I tried to go outside, I would get panic attacks and become hysterical. Eric lived in the hidey hole in the spare bedroom during those four months. After awhile, we both became worried about his safety during the daytime as this house wasn't exactly the most secure spot. I knew that he had to go back to his own home, but I also didn't want to let him go as I was even clingier with him back then. So I made the ultimate sacrifice and offered to go live with him at his home. He was ecstatic. I remember the day when Tara and I were covering up all the furniture when I was to move into his home. I felt sad about leaving, but I also felt optimistic about starting a new chapter in my life. I was still unable to leave the confines of my home, so Dr. Ludwig had to come and sedate me. When I woke up, Eric was lying beside me in his bed at his house. My recovery after the move became easier. I improved even more. I started to go outside with Eric into his backyard. We would sit on his lounge chairs and he would tell me stories about his life. During the second year, I made even bigger baby steps. I started to go outside during the daytime without Eric after looking at myself in the mirror. My skin was paler due to lack of sun and I missed my suntan. Months after that, I was able to go out on the town with Eric. He would take me out on dates and we were like a regular couple. In the beginning of the third year, I began going out during the daytime with either Sam, Alcide, or Jason. After awhile, I was able to go out on my own. Later we moved to a different house. He said he wanted us to live in a home that was new and both of ours.

I open my eyes and walk towards the bedroom window. The sun is starting to set. I asked Eric last night to come meet me here when he was able to. I go to my closet and get my shoebox full of my important papers. It's probably not the safest place to store some of these items as my deed to the house is also in it. I find the envelope that Bill had given me before he left. I had totally forgotten about this. He had set up a bank account in my name for over $100,000. He wrote in his note that he knew that I would not accept his money, but told me that I could do whatever I wanted with it. Eventually I decided that I would save it for Emily and my future nieces/nephews. I have never told Eric about this account as I know he would certainly get jealous. And besides, I don't consider this money mine anyway, as it will belong to others. I tuck the envelope of banking information and the deed into my purse.

I spend the next hour rummaging through my drawers, looking for old clothes that I wanted to wear again. I also put some old pictures and memorabilia into a plastic bag that I want to hang around in our house in Shreveport.

When I finish, I go out to the living room and Alcide is still talking on his phone. He is saying sweet things, so I suspect he is talking to his latest girlfriend. I turn on the lights and sit down on the covered sofa. Just then my cell rings, and it's Eric. I go back to my bedroom to talk to him.

"Hello Lover, how was your day?," he asks.

I smile like an idiot, "It was really good. I can't wait till you get here. What are you doing right now?"

"Waiting for that damn sun to be gone. While I am doing that, I am just catching up on some work. Is it just you and Alcide now?," he asks. I can hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yes, it's just me and him here all by our lonesome. What can we do in this big old house by ourselves? Do you have any suggestions?," I ask innocently. I love teasing him.

I can hear him growling. "You can tell him to wait outside by the door like the mutt that he is."

I laugh. "Baby, don't worry. Alcide brought some cards with him. So we'll just play some card games till you get here. Maybe we'll start with strip poker."

I can hear him growling and cursing in his ancient language. I laugh again. "Sweetie, I'm just teasing you. I love you and can't wait till you get here."

"I love you too," he says.

We hang up and I go out to the living room. Alcide is off the phone as well. We play cards for awhile and plug in the tv and dvd. I pop in the movie Old School, a movie that Jason left here. We laugh and watch the movie.

An hour and a half later, I can feel Eric getting closer. He sends me his love through our bond and I send mine back. A little while later we hear his car pull up. Alcide and I go out to the porch. Eric steps out of his car and I run down the steps and jump into his open arms.

"Eric," Alcide says greeting him.

"Herveaux," Eric nods at him.

I turn to face Alcide and Eric wraps his arms around my waist. "Thank you for hanging out with me today Alcide. I really appreciate it," I say as I smile at him.

He smiles back. "No problem Sook. I'll see you next week."

I say bye to him and we both watch him get into his truck and drive away.

Eric turns me around and starts kissing me and we make out for several minutes. He lifts me into his arms and carries me into the house.

"Are you glad to be back here?" I ask as he sets me down. He hasn't been inside my old house for several months.

He goes to close the door. "I am always glad to be here. This house is a part of you and part of your family. So in a way, it's my home too."

I smile and tiptoe to give him a quick kiss. He then hugs me and starts nuzzling my neck.

"You smell of shifter, were, human, and a human baby," he says while continuing to nuzzle my neck.

I laugh. "Emily was here today too. I can't believe how big she is now. Babies just grow so fast."

He brings his head up to look into my eyes. "Do you still dream of having children?" he asks, staring at me intently.

I think briefly about my answer. "I'm not going to lie to you. I always thought about having kids but only if I were married. But now, with so much going on and how unsure things are, I don't think children are something that I want bring into this world. Besides, the only person that I want to have children with is you. But obviously that's not possible."

He continues to look into my eyes, "If that was possible then I would want to have them with you as well. But who knows what the future will hold. I've lived for a very long time and in the past few hundred years, technology has dramatically grown. And if children were a possibility, then I would do everything in my power to protect you and them."

I reach up to kiss him deeply for a moment. "Well enough about hypothetical kids, what else are we going to do tonight?"

He starts kissing my neck. "Hmmm.... I know that you've had your dinner, but I haven't. Maybe you can do something about that."

He lifts up the skirt of my dress and brings it over my head. He drops it to the floor and then unclasps my strapless bra. That ends up on the floor as well. He takes his shirt off as I undo the button and zipper of his jeans. He's not wearing any underwear so his erection springs out. I stroke it as we kiss and he caresses my breasts. He then lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist.

He takes us towards my old bedroom. "Honey not there, there's no sheets on the bed." I tell him breaking away from our kiss.

He looks around the room deciding where to take us. "We haven't had sex on your table in a long time lover," he lustily tells me.

He takes us into the kitchen and sets me down on the table. I use my legs and feet to push his jeans down further. Instantly he rips my panties off on both sides and throws it on the floor. I use my right hand grab onto him and position him at my entrance while my left hand grabs onto his butt cheek. I pull him towards me. He pumps into me slowly as we kiss. I run my hands down his muscular back as he grips my butt. I begin moaning as he starts to pick up the pace. I can feel my climax building and he puts his hand between us to rub his thumb against my clit. As I am almost close to an orgasm, he bends down and his fangs pierce my right breast. I orgasm as he is sucking my nipple and blood. He removes his fangs from my breast and pumps into me quickly before he has his orgasm as well. As I am recovering, he goes down to continue to feed from my breast. A moment later he removes his fangs and licks the wounds until they heal.

I can hear the wind picking up outside and suddenly hear raindrops against the window. I guess the weatherman was right after all. He is hard again but I want to get home before the storm gets worse.

"Baby, let's go home now. We can continue this there," I say as I slowly stroke his erection.

"Alright, but I'm driving as fast as I can, so I don't want to hear any complaints," he tells me.

I laugh. I go to the living room area and put my dress on. Eric pulls up his jeans and puts his shirt back on. As he is turning the lights off, I go and grab my purse and the plastic bag that I filled. I hand him both items while I run to grab my ripped panties off the kitchen floor and my bra in the living room. I lock the door behind us and we run to his car. Just as we are driving down the road, a bolt of lightning hits the ground across the field and thunder follows it after. I can't help but think that today is what Las Vegas is going to be like. A calm before the storm.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey! So the next couple of chapters are going to be in Las Vegas and beyond that they will be in other spots in the world. Mind you I haven't been to any of these places so if these spots are your hometowns, then sorry if I get some things wrong. I'm doing my research for Las Vegas by watching the Hangover (I'm kidding LOL). Yesterday I wrote out the general direction (at work, LOL) of how I am going to approach the rest of this story, before that I was just going by the vague notion in my head. I don't think Sookie will be getting physically assaulted in this story as I think she has been abused enough in the books and in other fanfic stories. But she will go through tough emotional times and also happy times. My other OC players will have huge parts in this story as well. I've been thinking about getting a beta but I'm not too sure how long it would take to get one (I'm guessing a long time). For now I'll just type and post what I write. So onto the chapter... oh yeah, I don't remember if Sookie's been to Las Vegas already in the books, but I am going with the assumption that this is her first time.

* * *

**Sookie's POV:**

"Wake up Lover," a sexy smooth voice whispers into my ear.

My eyes flutter open and I see Eric's beautiful blue ones staring into me. He leans in to give me a slow sensual kiss to help wake me up. His hand was on my stomach but now it's making its way up to my breast and he slowly caresses it. He presses his hardness against my hand that is resting on my thigh.

"Ahem," Pam lets out an unnecessary cough. I break away from the kiss and remove Eric's hand. He then glares at Pam who is sitting across from us in the plane.

"What? Usually I don't mind watching foreplay but only if I know that I am a part of the sex that follows," she says nonchalantly.

A voice speaks through the intercom: _Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We will be landing at the McCarren International Airport in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada in about 15 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts for the descent. Thank you for flying with Anubis. _

I fasten my seatbelt and lean over to look out the window. I am dazzled by the lights of the city and at the same time feel a sense of dread. It is then that Eric holds my hand. I look over at his lap and see that he's not wearing his seatbelt. I sigh and try to lean over to put it on for him. I know..... I'm acting like a mother.

"Sookie, the man knows how to fly himself. Do you really think a seatbelt is the safest thing for him?," Pam questions with a raised eyebrow.

I scowl at her, but then Eric buckles in his seatbelt. Alcide and his pack members are sitting at the rear part of the plane while Savannah and Clint are sitting in the next aisle from us.

After we land and claim our baggage, we jump into two limos: Me, Eric, Savannah, and Pam in one, followed by Clint, Alcide, and the other three weres.

I am awed and my jaw practically drops to the floor as we drive down the Las Vegas Strip. Savannah and Pam look indifferent with our surroundings, but Eric is watching me with amusement as I stick my head out the passenger window and take in all the breathtaking hotels and attractions. We arrive at our hotel the Bellagio, which Felipe De Castro owns. I was uncomfortable with staying here but he insisted and refused to take no for an answer. When we check-in we are placed on the vampire level while Alcide and the other weres are on a different floor. Pam, Savannah, and Clint go off to check out their rooms while Eric leads me to ours, the two bedroom grand lakeview suite. When he opens the door, I run through the foyer like an excited child and gaze around the elegant living and dining room. I go to the window and take in the panoramic view and look down towards the Bellagio fountains. I watch the fountain show as Eric comes up behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my neck.

"Are you hungry lover?" he asks.

"A little bit, do you think you can order me some room service?," I ask as I am squeezing his hand.

"Of course, what did you want to eat?"

"I was thinking some seafood, like lobster and maybe a little bit of chocolate cake."

"Alright, I'll call the restaurant," he says and kisses my neck one last time before he goes to make the phone call.

I watch the fountains for several more minutes before turning around towards Eric, who is sitting on the sofa looking through his text messages. "I'm going to take a quick shower, baby," I tell him.

His eyes brighten and he gets up.

"I mean alone," I say carefully. He looks a little disappointed. His expression looks so cute and I laugh. "Honey, if we take one together we'll be in there for at least an hour. Besides someone has to stay out here just in case room service arrives." He still looks a bit sullen but I give him a quick kiss and promise that we'll take a bath together later on.

Eric directs me to our bedroom and I find my suitcase in there. Just like the living and dining room, the bedroom is very elegant as well. I take my sandals off and search my suitcase for my underwear. After my shower I put on the complimentary hotel robe and quickly dry my hair. When I am done I go out to the living room to find that my food has arrived and Eric typing on his laptop.

"Oh it smells so delicious," I tell him as I go to sit at the table. I eat my food and just as I am finishing off the slice of cake, we hear a knock at the door. Eric goes to answer and a moment later he comes back looking irritated with Victor walking behind him.

Victor smiles and looks at me thoroughly. I suddenly feel self-conscious sitting here in only a robe.

"Ahh, Miss Stackhouse, you look absolutely exquisite!," he says cheerfully.

"I see that you are eating your dinner so I won't bother you for too long. Felipe sent me here to tell you both to come join us down at his villa. He wanted to welcome you formally this evening. Perhaps in about an hour?," he says.

I glance at Eric who responds, "Of course. Tell his majesty that we will be down there shortly."

"Very well, I'm sure Northman you remember the way," he smiles at both of us and leaves. I suddenly feel a little green and Eric comes to sit beside me and hold me. "Don't worry my love. Everything is going to be fine," he says in a reassuring voice.

I look into his eyes, "You are sure?"

"Yes, he can't take you away from me. I am quite sure of that. If he tried then he would be breaking many rules and that is something that he would not risk for anything. "

I smile at him as I feel his love and comfort that he is sending me. "Well honey, we should probably get dressed if we're going to meet _his majesty,_" I say sarcastically. He calls Pam to tell her to meet us at the elevator in an hour.

We go to our bedroom to put on our clothes. I choose a strapless dark gray Donna Karan dress that Pam bought me as a gift. Eric puts on a casual suit with no tie. I put my hair up in a nice fashionable bun and apply some gloss and mascara to my face. When we are ready, we meet up with Pam and head downstairs to Felipe's villa.

**Eric's POV:**

I can feel that Sookie is tense as I take her and Pam down to De Castro's villa. We walk through the lobby and the casino area and I notice other men staring at her as we are walking passed them, so I wrap my arm possessively around her waist.

When we reach the villa, we are ushered in by two vampire guards. They lead us to the living room where Felipe is sitting with Sandy and Madden. There are five tall attractive human women sitting on another sofa in the room and a butler standing by the entryway. I can feel their gazes linger on me and can smell their arousal. I also feel Sookie tense up even more as she is standing more rigidly. I can feel her jealousy as she briefly scowls at the women who are staring at me.

De Castro stands up and walks towards us. I bow my head to acknowledge him. He nods and smiles towards Sookie: "Mizz Stackhouse," he says with his thick accent, "allow me the pleasure of welcoming you to my humble little town and hotel." Sookie smiles and gives him her hand. He kisses it.

"Do you like my hotel?" he asks.

She smiles, "Yes it's incredible. I don't think I've ever been in anything fancier than this place. I especially love the fountains."

"Yes, I was extremely pleased that they turned out so well. My guests and the tourists enjoy it exceedingly. I hope that you find your room very comfortable."

"It is more than comfortable. Thank you very much for providing me and Eric with such a lovely room."

He turns to look at me and Pam then turns his attentions back to Sookie, "It is no trouble at all. Victor told that he interrupted you in the middle of your meal, so I am glad that you have been provided with nourishment. But can I offer you a refreshing drink?"

She nods. "Is there anything you would like specifically? I have some very rare cognac. I only offer it to my very important human guests," he says.

"Ummm, yes sir, thank you that sounds great," she says. He motions to the butler to get her the drink.

He turns to me and Pam "Would you both care for a refreshment? As you can see, these lovely ladies are here to serve us all," he says gesturing his hand towards the women who are now excited with anticipation.

I can feel Sookie's jealousy increase. "Thank you for your kind offer your majesty, but I have had my refreshment earlier," I tell him while rubbing my hand against Sookie's back. "Pam you may choose one."

She chooses a dark haired woman and leads her towards a lounge chair near the patio door.

We take a seat across from De Castro. The butler comes back into the room with Sookie's drink, she slowly sniffs it and whirls the glass, just then she notices us all looking at her and she blushes, "Sorry, I just remember people in movies doing this."

De Castro laughs lightly, "No need to apologize Mizz Stackhouse, I believe that humans do that in real life as well. Please just start off with a small sip."

She takes the glass to her lips and swallows a few drops. She savours the taste, "Mmmm. This is really good."

He smiles at her, "I'm glad you approve. Do you have anything planned for the rest of the evening?"

She looks at me, "Ummm I think we were going to check out your casino for a little while. Then after that just spend the rest of the night in our room."

"Ahh that sounds like an excellent plan," he tells her, "Tomorrow you can go shopping. I guarantee you that you will not have to leave the hotel grounds as there are many fine shops here. You can also go swimming as the pools that I have built for my hotel are the best in the world, I can assure you. "

"Thanks for the information. I probably won't venture too far during the daytime. My daytime guard Alcide has been here a few times, so I'll probably ask him to take me to some nice tourist spots," she says. Now it's my turn to feel jealous.

Pam finishes her meal and joins us on the sofa.

Just then Sandy speaks, "Master, your next meeting is awaiting you."

Felipe glances at Sandy, then back to Sookie, "I'm sorry my dear. I had planned to entertain you and your bonded this evening, but an unexpected associate has turned up. I have set up a $30,000 casino account here for you. I hope that it will make up for this evening."

Sookie is ready to refuse, but he intercedes, "Please accept it as a token of my appreciation for being my guest for the next few days. I would be extremely upset if my gift is refused."

She smiles hesitantly, "Oh. Thank you Mr. De Castro."

"I insist you call me Felipe," he says.

"Thank you Felipe," she says firmly.

He turn his attentions to me, "I hope that you will show your bonded everything my city has to offer tomorrow Northman. Because the evening after, I am holding a small private party at my nightclub The Bank. I have invited a few select people, some of whom you are acquainted with. Marten Meijer will be present as well. I would be very honoured to receive Mizz Stackhouse as my guest."

"Of course your majesty, we will be there," I say as we all stand up.

"Stay for awhile, Mizz Stackhouse and finish your drink," he says, "I will see you both at The Bank." He turns and leaves the room followed by Sandy, Madden, and the women.

As soon as they leave, Sookie snuggles up against my chest and continues to sip her cognac.

"Ready to gamble away Felipe's money?," she asks as she swallows the last of her drink.

"Always," I tell her.

When we arrive at the casino, I tell Pam to enjoy herself.

"Tell me lover, what would you like to play first?," I ask.

She looks around the room, "I think I would like to try blackjack." We play at various tables for the next hour. She also wants to play the slot machines so we spend another hour at those. She starts yawning so we decide to head back to our room.

"I only lost one thousand of Felipe's money," she says when we get to our room. We head to our bedroom and we both start undressing.

She is bending over to remove her panties so I glide up behind her, pressing my erection against her, "Lover I believe that you owe me a bath," I say as I caress her behind.

She stands up, turns around, and put her arms around my neck, "Oh yes, I guess I do." She kisses me and heads into the bathroom to turn on the water in the tub. We spend an hour in the tub making love and when we are done, I dry her body off with a warm towel. I hold her in the bed as she falls asleep. When she does fall asleep I go back out to the living room and call Herveaux to give him my instructions for tomorrow. I do some work until I feel that dawn is nearing. I go back our room and snuggle up against Sookie and then I feel nothing.

**Sookie's POV:**

I wake up to find myself in Eric's arms. He looks so peaceful as he is facing me. I examine his features and think back to last night when those skanks were giving him an eyefuck. I had looked into their minds and saw them fantasizing about Eric screwing them in an orgy. I was also shocked and jealous when Felipe offered them to Eric to feed. My mind wanders to that notion of whether or not he does feed from other women when he is away on his trips. We never really talked about that issue. I had always assumed that he would only feed from me and drink True Blood. Yes I should definitely ask him about that later. I look over at the clock and see that it is 11 in the morning and as usual, I shimmy my body downwards to break away from Eric's embrace. I take a quick shower and change into a casual pale pink sundress. I also grab my bikini and shorts just in case I decide to go to the pool today as well. After I am done I give Eric a quick kiss and make sure that I have everything because once I lock the secure bedroom door, I won't be able to come back in.

In the living room I call Alcide and tell him that I am ready to go shopping and check out the sites. A few minutes later he arrives with the other were guards and we head downstairs. We decide to have some breakfast before we leave and go to one of the restaurants. After breakfast, we head to the shops that Felipe mentioned and I find out that he is right. I spend a few hours browsing and trying on clothes. Eric had given me a no limit credit card, so I buy quite a few items. I also buy him some new clothes as well in the men's stores and I also choose a nice expensive dress that would suit Tara. We arrange for the items that I have bought to be sent back up to my room.

Afterwards we head outside and spend the day wandering around to see what the other hotels have to offer. We go to Circus Circus and go on a few rides, we go to the aquarium and we also head to the Stratosphere Tower. We also walk through the Streetmosphere and I buy a few more things for Jason and Emily. I also buy some more clothes. By the time we head back to our hotel, it is 4:30 and still a few hours before sunset. So I decide to go for a swim at the pool.

I find my bags and packages in the hotel room as I change into my bikini and shorts and rub some suntan lotion on my body. Ten minutes later Alcide knocks on my down, he also changed into his swimwear. We meet the other weres by the elevator and we go downstairs. We find a few lounge chairs by the pool and settle into them. Two of the weres sit several feet away from us in chairs. Alcide and the other were take the lounge chairs on either side of me. It is then that I finally realize that the only one that I have spoken to and that the only one who has been speaking to me all day has been Alcide. I haven't even learned their first names as I had only been told their last names from Alcide.

I glance over at the other were beside me, "Umm hi, I'm sorry for being rude today and not really speaking to you," I say with a sheepish smile.

He suddenly looks flushed and stammers, "Ohh uhh that's alright Miss Stackhouse. We were given orders by Mr. Northman to only watch over you and not address you in any way."

I slightly frown at his remark. "Well you can talk to me now. You don't see Mr. Northman here now do you?"

He smiles uneasily, "No I don't. Umm alright, Miss Stackhouse."

"You can call me Sookie by the way. What's your name?," I ask with a smile.

"My name is Taylor," he says. I look at his features and see that he is very handsome. His light brown hair is slightly shaggy and he has the same muscular build as Alcide. If I weren't already in love, I would definitely be attracted to him. We make idle chit chat for a few minutes. As we talk I peek into his mind. He finds me very friendly and also attractive, but he is afraid of my Viking vampire who apparently told him that he would rip him into shreds if I were to get hurt while he was on the clock. I also discover that he has already watched over me a few times from afar before in Shreveport. Afterwards we take a dip into the pool. Time goes by quickly and I realize that Eric should be awake by now.

**Eric's POV:**

I wake up to find Sookie missing as expected. When I check my phone, I see that she has sent me a few pictures of her activities during the day. I find one of her and Alcide standing in the sun and jealousy ripples through me. I know that I will never have the opportunity to be with her during the daytime and I feel a slight pain in my chest.

I open the door to our bedroom to find the living room empty. The blinds are closed as they are automated to open once the sun has set. I also find shopping bags and packages. I am pleased that she has used the credit card that I had given to her.

I decide to spend some time with work while I wait for Sookie to come back. I write Marten an email telling him I look forward to seeing him tomorrow evening. Twenty minutes later Sookie opens the door and walks in.

Her face shines and she smiles, "Good evening baby!"

I move my laptop away from me and she runs towards me then straddles me. We kiss and I can smell the sun and pool in her skin and hair.

"Did you have a good day Lover," I ask as I nibble on earlobe.

"It was ok, but I missed you," she tells me. "So what are our plans for tonight?"

"Well we can begin with a shower, then afterwards dinner downstairs. After that maybe go for a gondola ride and watch a show."

"That sounds great," she says. We spend an hour in the shower where we wash each other and have sex. By the time we are done, the blinds are open revealing the night sky.

I buy her dinner downstairs in one of the restaurants and we go to watch a Cirque du Soleil show. Afterwards we go to the Venetian for a gondola ride. We stroll through the Streetmosphere and take in some of the street performers. We also go to the Eiffel Tower replica. While we are gazing at the city view, I come to the realization that this is our first trip together as a couple. But unfortunately it's in De Castro's territory and under his terms.

"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" I ask her.

She leans in closer to me, "Of course I did. I always have a fun time with you."

"Soon I will take you to Paris and Venice to feel the real experience of these places," I tell her.

I can see that she is about to object, but she quickly changes her mind and instead gives me a kiss.

We go back to our room and I can sense that she is exhausted from her busy day. I make love to her gently in our bed and feed from her breast. Afterwards I hold her in my arms, spooning her.

"Eric?," she says as she is stroking my arm.

"Yes my love?"

"Do you feed from others?," she asks.

I am taken aback by her question and turn her over so that we can look in each other's eyes . "No my love. I have not fed from another since...."

"Since the fairy incident," she says, finishing my sentence. "Do you need to feed from others?"

"No, like I've told you before, I only require a small amount of blood now."

"What about when you go on your trips?"

I smile at her and stroke her side, "If you recall, I actually drink a large amount from you before I go on my business trips. I drink True Blood or Royalty Blend when I am socializing or in meetings."

She smiles back at me and sighs, "Good, I don't think I could stand it if you drank from someone else."

I stroke her back as she is falling asleep. When she is asleep I go into the living room and check my phone messages and email. I find a reply from Marten and I also find a phone message from De Castro. I quickly call him back.

"Ahh Northman, I hope you enjoyed your evening with the lovely Mizz Stackhouse," he says.

"Yes we had a great time in the city."

"That is good," he says, "I wanted to tell you that sometime during the party tomorrow evening, we will have a private meeting, just between us. To discuss some certain issues," he says vaguely.

"Of course your majesty," I respond.

"Very well, I will not keep you from Mizz Stackhouse any longer." He then hangs up.

_Tomorrow's going to be fun, _I think sarcastically to myself.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello Im back. Sorry for taking so long but work, family problems were taking over my life. Just when I got those under control, I ended up getting sick which is something that rarely happens to me so it hit me hard and I am still ill. I promise that the next chapter after this one won't be too far. I am going to start writing it tomorrow and hopefully I will have it up by Monday night. Goodnight people.**

* * *

**Sookie's POV: **

"Pam it's too tight!," I whine.

"Suck in your stomach!," she says as she is trying to help me.

"I think the size you got me is too small, is it too late to exchange it for something larger?"

"Sookie, this is the largest size they had in the store."

Ouch... I think my self-esteem just fell a couple notches. I know that I'm probably not the slimmest woman, but I'm not exactly fat either. Obviously the designer of this dress doesn't like women with a little meat on their bodies. My face is flushed from frustration. Somehow I've managed to land in Pam's room trying to squeeze into a dress that seems to have been made for a waif-like girl and not a curvy woman like me. We both continue to struggle.

"Stop moving," she commands.

"Argh! It's not going to fit Pam. I'll just wear one of the dresses that I bought yesterday," I tell her.

"Keep still for a few seconds Sookie and suck in your gut," she says.

I do as she says and hold in my breath. She slowly continues to move the dress past my hips and it reaches my stomach. I breathe out. We take a brief rest from this delicate operation. I hold in my breath again as Pam continues to move the fabric up slowly until it reaches my breasts.

"Hmm...," she murmurs.

I let my breath out again and look at her. She is thinking about the next course of action.

"I think you are going to have to go braless," she says looking at me.

My mouth drops open, "No!"

"I don't think there will be enough room for your bra. There will be barely enough room for your boobs," she says.

I sigh in frustration. "Okay then fine."

She quickly unhooks my bra and it lands on the floor. I see her staring at my breasts and can tell she is fighting the urge to touch them.

I move my arms through the strap openings and Pam moves the rest of the fabric upwards until I am completely in the dress. I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Walk around. The fabric should stretch enough to conform to the shape of your body," she says.

I slowly move around the room hoping that I don't tear the seams. Thankfully I am able to walk normally and not like my knees are tied together by rope. The dress is only several inches past my butt. I definitely won't be bending over tonight for fear of flashing people and ripping my dress.

"Try sitting," she tells me.

I move to the sofa and slowly sit down.

"Okay I think I am able to move around a little bit more now," I tell her.

"Alright now that we're done with the hard part, it's time to straighten your hair."

I get up and move to the chair in front of the vanity mirror. Pam runs a ceramic hot iron through my hair straightening my soft natural wavy curls. When she finishes, she applies some eye makeup and mascara. I apply my own lip gloss. When we are done I look at myself over in the mirror. The desert sand coloured dress looks really good on me despite the tight fit. I barely recognize myself with straighter hair and darker eye makeup. I put on the tan heels that Pam bought me as well.

I had spent my day in Las Vegas by sleeping in till 1pm. My guards and I went swimming in the pool. After that I went to the spa in the hotel for a massage (done by a woman of course), facial, body wrap, pedicure, and manicure.

I leave Pam's room to let her get ready and I walk down the hall to my room. When I open the door I call out Eric's name but no one answers. He must have gone downstairs.

I go to the window and look outside. _I should probably try and stretch out this dress a little bit more. _I put my hands on the window and try to bend over a little bit. I stick my butt out and wiggle my body hoping my actions will give me a little bit more freedom to move around.

"Someone said the views from the Bellagio were magnificent, they were absolutely right about that," a strange voice says.

I gasp and quickly spin around. A dirty blonde vampire who looks eighteen is standing in my room smiling at me with his fangs out. I'm too stunned to speak or scream.

In an instant he is right in front of me and leans in closely. At first I think he is going to bite my neck but instead he sniffs me slowly. He looks me in the eyes and smiles again, this time his fangs are retracting. He gradually steps away from me.

"I see you've met my bonded," Eric says standing about ten feet away from us. I look over at him feeling relieved and confused.

The unfamiliar vampire continues to smile at me without glancing back to look at Eric, "Your bonded you say? That explains one of the reasons why she is drenched heavily in your scent. I thought she might have been room service."

Eric comes to stand beside me. He puts his arm around my waist and looks down at me. "Sookie, this Marten Meijer, the king of New York. Marten, this is Sookie Stackhouse, my wife."

"Pleased to meet you Sookie," he says. He holds his hand out waiting for me to put mine in it. I am reluctant to give him my hand as I am still feeling uncertain of him. He senses my hesitation. "Please forgive me for frightening you a few moments ago. I seem to lose my self control when I see a beautiful woman who smells divine," he says suavely.

I give him my hand and he kisses it. His lips linger on my skin for a few extra seconds and his eyes twinkle. "Where did you find her Eric?," he asks.

"I didn't find her, she found me," Eric answers.

He looks at Eric, then back at me, "Are there any more like her where she comes from?"

"No, she is the only one," Eric firmly says.

"I can see now why you have told me very little about her," he says to Eric and turns his attention toward me again, "You should feel fortunate to have this vampire's devotion. I have known him for over eight hundred years and never during that time have I seen him care for a human enough to form a bond with them."

"You're almost as old as Eric? You look so young," I say still feeling flabbergasted.

He chuckles, "I was a young human when I was turned. I figure I must have been nineteen or eighteen."

After my initial shock wears out, I begin to notice how good-looking this blonde vampire is. Like Eric he could easily have a successful career as a model or an actor. He looks like he belongs in an Abercrombie and Fitch catalogue with his youthful looks and natural charisma. And like Eric I can hear a slight accent from a time and place long ago.

"I went downstairs to meet Marten for a refreshment in the lounge," Eric says, "When we finished, I gave him the key card to our room while I went to go see your were guards. I thought you would have still been in Pam's room."

"Oh," I say, "You are friends?," I ask glancing at both of them.

Marten lightly laughs, "I wouldn't say we are friends, more like comrades. Older vampires are wise enough to know that there is no such thing as having friends in our world. We have been in many battles together throughout the years and partook in many sexual..."

"Sookie isn't interested in knowing about that," Eric interrupts. Jealousy of his past exploits creeps up on me and I glower at him.

"Do not worry Sookie," Marten says noticing my reaction, "I imagine that what we experienced in the past is nothing compared to what he has with you. But of course if you want a demonstration of some of our past activities then that can be arranged," he says with a big smile.

I can feel Eric's jealousy. He growls at him while slightly tightening his grip on my waist.

"Maybe not," the young ancient vampire smirks. "I should be heading back to my hotel. I have a few things that I need to do before tonight's festivities."

"You're not staying at this hotel?," I ask him.

"No," he says, "I don't think that it's a very good idea to stay in the domain of a rival king, don't you? De Castro isn't the most trustworthy vampire, look at what happened to poor Sophie."

I nod my head in agreement.

"We will see you later this evening," Eric says as he opens the door and takes back the key card from him.

As soon as he closes the door he is in front of me. "Lover you look beautiful tonight," he says gripping my butt.

I can tell what he wants from me right now, "Baby, later. I will gladly let you rip this dress off of me then," I tell him still feeling somewhat uncomfortable in the fabric.

He reluctantly lets me go and goes into the room to put on his clothes. He is ready in less than five minutes and comes out of the room looking absolutely mouth-watering.

Awhile later we head downstairs to the club with my vampire guards and Pam. We walk through the foyer and into the club which is already full of humans and vampires. The male and female humans are gorgeous as expected. They were obviously chosen for their sex appeal. The large room is vibrant and filled with elegant furniture and a spectacular dance floor. The DJ is playing a mixture of old and new dance music. We are led to the VIP section at which time many vampire and human females eye Eric. Even though it should make me feel jealous at hearing some of the thoughts of the female patrons, it does not affect me in the slightest. Hearing Eric tell me last night that he does not feed from anyone else made me feel relieved and more secure of my relationship with him. I already know that he would not cheat on me. After dwelling on this topic, I think of my own 'encounter' over a month ago and a tinge of guilt seeps through me. I can't believe how I almost tainted what we have with a virtual stranger. Almost immediately Eric senses my guilt through the bond.

The server has already taken our drink orders at our table when Eric leans in close to me, "Are you alright?"

I look at him and give him a quick kiss on the lips, "I'm ok. I can't wait till go back to our room," I whisper back. I will definitely have to tell him about the vampire I met over a month ago later tonight. I'm not completely sure how he will react but I know that he will be angry and hurt. But I know that I need to be honest with him even if nothing did happen between us. He puts his hand on my thigh and rubs it slowly.

Just then the music is turned down. De Castro, flanked by his entourage, walks in and the crowd immediately parts for him. We all rise from our seats and all of the vampires in the room slightly bow or nod at his presence. The humans also respectfully acknowledge his presence.

He makes his way to our table.

"Northman, Mizz Stackhouse, how lovely you look this evening. I trust that you find my little club satisfactory?," he says in a slimy voice as he eyes me from top to bottom. I can feel the eyes of Victor Madden on me as well.

"Yes it's very lovely," I say with a forced smile and cheer.

"I am glad that you approve. Perhaps maybe later you will allow me the pleasure of a dance? That's unless of course the Viking doesn't object," he says. I can feel Eric's fury but his outward appearance is cool and calm.

"Of course your majesty," Eric answers.

"Splendid! If you will excuse me I must go and greet my other guests," he says just before walking off.

We sit down again and enjoy the music and each other's company. Pam wanders off to dance with a couple of other female vamps and humans. Though the atmosphere in the club is positive, I am content to just sit here at the table in the arms of my vampire. We smile and whisper to each other, ignoring the people and stares around us.

"Would three be a crowd at this table?," a voice asks popping the private bubble that Eric and I created.

The king of New York is standing before us grinning. I glance over at Savannah and Clint at the other table who continue to appear aloof.

Eric smiles at him, "Of course you may join us."

He sits down next to me and out of nowhere Pam comes back to the table. She looks at him seductively and gives him a demure smile.

The king stands up and smiles at her, "Pamela," he says as he kisses her hand. This time his mouth lingers on her hand much longer than it did on mine. "Your child grows even more beautiful every time I see her, Eric," he says flashing his brilliant smile.

"Thank you your majesty," Pam says looking like a star struck teenager.

They both take their seats. Just then a couple of gorgeous blonde twin girls come to our table with obvious intentions for both Eric and the king.

"The master thought that you would enjoy some company this evening," they say synchronously referring to Felipe as the master. They both look at the king but also glance at Eric. I notice Pam glaring at them.

"You can tell your master thank you for the offer, but right now I have all the company I need," he says. "Perhaps later you can come back," he says winking at both of them. They both giggle and smile as they saunter off while Pam looks like she's ready to rip their heads off. This is the first time I have even seen Pam look jealous.

"So you were born in the same area as Eric?," I ask him trying to start a friendly conversation with him.

"Yes but I was born in the area of Denmark," he answers.

"Do you still remember your family?" I ask.

He ponders for a moment. "I barely remember them. I rarely saw my father and my mother died when I was young. When I try to recall the past, I remember the times I spent with my older brothers who constantly abused me. I was to have been married right before I was born a vampire. So I never had the opportunity to sire children."

"That's so sad," I say empathetically.

"Not really. My real life never started until I met my true father. He showed me what it means to truly exist. I was and still am honoured that he chose me to become his child."

"Your maker gave you the choice?," I ask interested in his story. From what I have heard vampires usually just take and turn the ones that they choose to become their children, like Eric and Pam.

"Yes he gave me the choice. He wanted a son and I wanted a father," he says firmly. Now I am surprised and curious. It is clear that their relationship has never gone beyond a father and son type. I remember when Eric told me that Appius forced him into a sexual relationship for years. I wish that Eric could have been made a vampire by his maker.

Before I could ask him any more questions Victor Madden comes to our table.

"Hello, your majesty, Miss Stackhouse, Eric," he says cheerfully. I can tell Pam is somewhat annoyed that he ignored her.

"Felipe was wondering if you would like to dance now," he says.

I look at Eric, "Umm I haven't had the chance to dance with Eric yet. So maybe after that?," I say unsure of myself.

He glances over his shoulder and back at me, "Of course Miss Stackhouse. You should probably dance with your husband first. I shall tell Felipe that your dance card is booked right now," he says. _Dance card? Where are we, in the Victorian Era?,_ I think to myself. I give him one of my fake smiles and he leaves.

"Well we should do what Sookie has said," the young looking king announces. "Pam would you do me the honour of dancing with me?"

Pam looks like she's about to float away, "Yes I would love to, your majesty." He leads her to the dance floor.

"Would you care to dance with me as well?," Eric whispers into my ear.

I feel like melting so I smile and nod. He leads me down to the dance floor area while Savannah and Clint follow. They clear up a spot for us to dance and soon enough, I am gyrating and moving my hips to the music.

Awhile later I can feel myself getting tired, so I ask Eric if we could step to the side. We go back up to the VIP level, but instead of sitting down we stand and watch all the people on the dance floor. I place my hands on the railing while Eric stands directly behind me and puts his hands on my hips.

I spot Pam and Marten still together looking more like they are dry humping each other rather than dancing. I also spot the blonde twins standing close by watching them as though they are waiting their turn with him.

"Oh look it's the Barbie twins," I point out to Eric.

He looks in that direction. "Yes I see them, rather lovely unique creatures aren't they?," he says. I can tell that he is trying to tease me.

"Yes they are beautiful. I'm sure your fellow Viking will let you share with him. It could be like the old days with you two," I tell him.

"That's an idea, but I would rather it be you, me and them. That's an even better plan."

I spin around and smack him lightly on the chest, "Well you can keep on dreaming about that fantasy buddy," I say.

He laughs lightly and pulls me closer to him, "The only one that is in my fantasies is you. In fact I have a particular one that I would like to perform later on tonight," he tells me seductively. I can feel his erection pressed against my stomach. _Can we leave this party now...,_ I think to myself.

I spin around towards the dance floor again in order to try and ignore my growing desire. I see Marten going up to the DJ's booth and he speaks to him briefly. _I wonder what he's up to. _He goes back down to the dance floor and suddenly a new song starts that sounds like a mixture of dance and rap.

"This is a special request so ladies and gentlemen please clear the dance floor," the DJ announces. Marten takes off his jacket and throws it to the crowd on his right. I look and see a couple of girls screaming and fighting over it. He moves to the center and starts moving to the music. I watch in amazement as he moves gracefully to the music. He starts break dancing and in one moment he moves in his vampire speed. The crowd is going wild and cheering him on. I look at Pam watching him like he was her idol and the blonde twins are cheering him on not too far away. When the song and his performance end, the entire room is cheering him on and asking for more. He is pumping his fist in the air obviously enjoying the attention that he is receiving. The blonde twins approach him and put their hands on his chest. They are smiling and giggling. I can tell he is enjoying that as well. Just as one of them is about to kiss him, Pam pushes her away. She is visibly fuming and jealous. She wraps her arms around him possessively and glares at the twins as if to warn them to stay away from her man. Eric and I watch the scene curiously. I am amazed at the way that Pam is acting this evening. I suddenly realize that no matter how old a vampire gets, they still retain a remnant of the maturity level of their human age when they were made vampire. In Pam and Marten's case, they are acting like the teenagers they once were when they were human. I can't help but smile.

"He's always been a show-off," Eric says in my ear.

I turn around to face him, "Are you jealous that he can dance so well?," I ask as I kiss his neck.

"Maybe," he says quietly, "But there are more important things that I am way better at than him."

"Care to share with me?," I ask. We make out for several minutes until Pam and Marten join us.

"That was amazing," I tell him, "Where did you learn how to dance like that?"

"I've always enjoyed dancing," he responds, "But it wasn't until the 1920s that I began to learn. Every decade there has been a new style of dance. What I did was a mixture of what I have learned throughout the decades. I learned to break dance in the 80s."

"Master, is it alright if I can go with the king for the rest of the night? He is leaving at dawn and being transported back to New York," Pam asks Eric.

Eric thinks about her request for a moment and looks at both of them. She is eagerly awaiting his answer.

"Yes, but make sure you get back to the hotel before dawn," he says sternly. I smile trying to hold in my chuckle at Eric's fatherly attitude.

"It was nice to meet you Sookie, I hope that we will meet again," Marten tells me. He takes Pam's hand and they leave the club.

"Maybe we can leave too now," I say to Eric. He is about to open his mouth to respond but is interrupted.

"Felipe would like to speak to you now, Eric. He is waiting in his office," Victor Madden says behind me.

I lean my forehead against Eric's chest and he responds, "Tell him I will be there in a moment."

"I will be right back, my love," he says as I lift my head and he kisses my forehead. I let him go and watch as he walks off into the crowd. I go to sit with my vampire guards and watch the people around me getting more drunk. I notice some vamps choosing their meals for later on tonight. I feel more uncomfortable without Eric so I try to keep myself busy by looking at my phone. I decide to play a few games on my phone when I hear a voice.

"Fancy meeting you here," the strange voice utters.

I look up and recognize the person, "Oh hello again," unsure of what else to say.

**Eric's POV: **

I walk towards De Castro's club office. Random women are touching my arms and it's taking all my strength to not fling them away. I finally reach his office door and his bodyguards let me through.

He is sitting at his desk and he is alone.

"Good of you to show up Northman. I trust your wife is being looked after," he tells me.

I nod. "How may I serve you tonight your majesty?," I ask him.

"It was nice that Marten showed up tonight," he says ignoring my question. "I needed to meet with him to see if he would allow me to open up another club like this one in his area."

"What was his response?," I ask.

"He asked for sixty percent of the profits and ownership."

"What was your response?"

"My first instinct was to tell him no and that I would find another method to open up a business there without his formal consent. But I ignored my feeling and I agreed to his terms. Do you want to know why?"

I can sense he is leading up to something. "Tell me why your majesty."

"Because it is unwise to go up against a vampire as powerful as he. Though he may look young he has powerful connections namely his maker. You have heard of the story of how he obtained the territory of New York?"

I nod. Marten was challenged back in the 1700s by another vampire who also wanted to rule the New York area. One day the foolish vampire had paid some weres to destroy Marten in his daytime resting place. Marten was lucky to have escaped with only a few burns because the weres could not find his secret resting spot that was almost completely fireproof. He had awoken to find his home destroyed. His maker Marius had sensed his anguish through their connection and quickly went to aid his child. He and Marten destroyed the weres and their entire pack. They also killed the vampires who were associated with the foolish vampire who tried to challenge Marten. Marius was going to destroy the vampire but Marten persuaded him to deal with the vamp in front of the council. They went to the council in order to get the approval of killing the vamp but he happened to be the child of one of the council members. The vamp was set free and ordered to leave the territory. Marius became angered by the decision. He asked them once more for permission to kill the vamp but they refused him. What happened after that is not known, but the vamp who tried to kill Marten met the sun. The council denies this but the strongest rumour of what happened that day was that the council members who ruled in favour of letting the vamp go suddenly met their final deaths by spontaneously combusting. It is said that it is one of Marius' vampire gifts. It is also rumoured that he glamoured the vamp into meeting his final death by telling him to meet the sun and also wrapping himself in silver. It is certain however that the following day Marten was crowned king of New York and that was the last time that any vampire had seen Marius.

"But I guess it should please me that I am able to expand my business into another state," he continues. "My new business ventures have kept me very busy that I fear that I have been neglecting Arkansas and Louisiana. Which is why I may have no other choice but to give up those territories to others."

I try to keep myself calm as I have a strong feeling of what he is going to say.

"I have given this much thought but I am going to give Madden the territory of Arkansas to rule. He will become king but still be my subordinate."

He stops and looks at me as though he is trying to decipher what I am thinking and feeling. "Louisiana is another territory that I will have to entrust with someone else as well. Tell me Northman, do you think you could be make a good king?"

I take a moment to utter my answer, "I have lived for over a thousand years and have acquired many skills during that time. I have travelled and lived in almost every place in the world, but I have found that Louisiana is my true home. It is the land that I care about deeply and would like to see it prosper and develop to its fullest potential. So yes I think I would make a good king."

He turns around in his desk to face the window. "Very well I offer you the Louisiana territory with a few conditions."

He turns to face me again. "You will have the crown of Louisiana as long as you show me fealty. I know that you would not be subordinate like Madden but I expect to have your support and allegiance in front of the council and other kings. But you will still be my equal."

"Of course your majesty I accept these terms," I tell him as I slightly bow.

"I haven't told you all my conditions yet," he says. "I have one more condition."

I look at him wondering what it could be. "Tell me your majesty."

"My other condition is that you enter into a royal marriage with Rosamund Lefevre."

I look at him feeling bewildered.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eric's POV:**

I stare at De Castro who is sitting across from me at his desk. I am still feeling confused and stunned by his stipulation. _Is he serious? _The fury starts to rise within me as I begin to get passed my initial astonishment. But I know that the consequences will be dire if I lash out in anger at him.

After a long moment I finally speak, "Your majesty, you know that I am already married."

"Yes I am aware of that. But I am sure that you are also aware that royalty can form political marriages with other monarchs. Of course you would need the approval of the council but seeing as Mizz Stackhouse is not a vampire, it would be an easy task to convince them to approve," he responds.

"Why do you want me to marry her?," I ask in a low tone still trying to rein in my anger.

"Because it would be a good political strategy for not only your interests but mine as well. You would always be my ally and with her as your wife, we would have a strong tie to Europe."

"Then why don't you marry her," I say my tone getting even lower.

He smiles at me, "I am already considering proposals from the east in China and Singapore. So when you look at the bigger picture, your marriage in the west and mine in the east, we will become even more powerful and potentially wealthier."

"Get Madden to marry her," I say in a clipped tone.

He looks at me, "Do you not think I have thought of that? Madden has not established himself well enough in this world. He is only a few hundred years old. I doubt I could convince her much less anyone else to form a political marriage with him. Rosamund, on the other hand, wants this union with you."

Suddenly it all clicks. This was why she appeared out of the blue with De Castro a month ago. I recall the key moments we have had with each other. We were attracted to each other the moment we first met a few hundred years ago. She was beautiful, fearless and energetic. The sex was incredible and she was always willing to do anything that pleased me. I had helped her establish her place in France as the new reigning Queen with the aid of my connections and skills. We stayed together for a few years but naturally I began to grow tired of her. When I decided to leave her, she begged me to marry her and stay with her. She wanted me to become her king and was willing to share her kingdom with me equally. She began to become clingy with me and would become jealous of every woman that I was with. She was even jealous of Pam. Pam was still young and our sexual relationship had only ended several years earlier. When Rosamund saw Pam and me in an innocent embrace, she struck Pam in a rage of jealousy. That final act prompted me to leave her. She kept in contact with me over the years writing letters hoping that I would come back to her. When she married, I was relieved and felt that perhaps she had gotten over her strong feelings for me. I met her again in the 1930s and it looked as though she had moved on so I began to have sex with her again occasionally whenever I saw her. Apparently I was wrong.

"Then your majesty, but I must regretfully refuse your offer for the throne of Louisiana. I cannot accept your terms." I begin to rise out of my seat in order to leave the room.

"Sit back down Northman," De Castro says sternly, "I have not dismissed you."

I narrow my eyes at him and promptly sit down.

"Very well Northman. Do you have a sense of what the cost may be for your refusal?," he asks. I immediately think of Sookie.

"I told you about my dealings with Marten for a reason. I admit that he has more power than I do, but when it comes to you and I, I am the one holding the authority." He rises from his chair and walks around his desk to stand before me. "If you refuse my offer then the telepath will stay here permanently. Because you are bonded and wedded to her, you may also choose to stay here. But nonetheless, without you or not, she will stay. Because of her special gift, she is an important asset within my territory."

"If you keep her here, you will be breaking laws," I tell him coldly.

"She is a mere human and I'm sure that you already know that she has no rights in our world. I know that the council will be on my side if I tell them that her safety is in jeopardy with you. It shouldn't be too hard since they already know all about the attack from those pesky fairies. And as for your marriage, no man will touch her since that is still your right."

If I had been a younger vampire I would have surely killed him instantly and would have suffered the consequences of my actions. It is taking all my years of learning how to control my anger to not attack this insufferable vamp. "I resign my duties as Sheriff and I will leave the area immediately," I tell him.

He laughs, "Oh Northman. Of course you can get up and try to leave with your bonded. Doesn't she have family and friends in that pathetic little town? I have heard that her brother's wife is with child. Tell me how do you think she would react if something happened to them? You saw how swiftly I overtook Louisiana from Sophie; it would be no trouble at all to make something happen to her family and friends."

He continues on, "I gave her three years to recover from her injuries only because of the life debt I owed her. But now I feel I have given her enough time that I have fully repaid that debt. You should have turned her and made her your child during that time, and then her rights would be recognized."

He has the audacity to lean over and put his hand on my shoulder. "I know you are a very smart man and a cunning vampire Northman. Take the deal. You can keep your telepath and become king of Louisiana. All you have to do is swear your loyalty to me and marry the Queen of France, when her marriage to Ulric is over."

I let out an unnecessary breath. "I need some time to consider this, your majesty."

He stands up and goes to sit behind his desk again. "Very well. You have until tomorrow night to make up your mind or I will make your decisions for you."

I get up to leave and as soon I reach the door he speaks again, "Northman. By the way, if you try to flee tonight with your bonded and make plans for the escape of her family and friends, keep in mind that I already have people in place watching them right now. Have a good evening."

Murderous rage is threatening to overcome me. I need to get out of here before I do something I will regret. I walk back towards the table to retrieve Sookie so that we may get back to our room as soon as possible.

**Sookie's POV (when Eric was in Felipe's office):**

I remember her from the party last month in Shreveport. I also remember Eric telling me that they were intimate once upon a time. She looks absolutely stunning in a red silk dress. Her strawberry blonde hair is swept up in a ponytail.

"Do you mind if I join you? Honestly, I don't know anyone here," she tells me. I can tell she is not entirely as hopeless as she appears but I smile at her and tell her yes. She sits down beside me.

"I hope you remember me. I remember you of course, Miss Stackhouse?," she says.

I politely smile at her. "Yes I believe your name is Ms. Lefevre."

She smiles back, "Yes, I'm happy that you remember my name. You can call me Rosamund if you wish. As long as I can call you Sookie."

"Agreed," I say.

"Where is your husband?," she asks me.

"Umm, he is with Mr. De Castro right now in his office. I'm waiting for him and then we were planning on going back to our room."

She looks at me as if she is trying to read my mind, "I can see how deeply you are in love with him. I was in love too once, but perhaps I will be again."

I don't know what to say so I give her a sympathetic smile.

For a brief moment she appears sad, but she brushes it away and smiles again, "Well I must be going. I only stopped in here to see if there was anyone or anything interesting. I have found you so that definitely interests me. Goodnight Sookie and tell your husband I said goodnight to him as well."

"Goodnight," I tell her. She gets up and leaves the club.

As soon as she leaves an overwhelming feeling of rage engulfs me. I know it's not my feelings. There is something going on in that office with De Castro and Eric. I can feel that he is not physically harmed but whatever is going on has made him angry. I put my hand on my forehead trying to deal silently with his emotions. A little while later I can feel that he is coming back and I look up to see fury in his facial features.

**Eric's POV:**

I stalk back to the table where Sookie is looking at me with worry in her face. She is feeling my rage. I go to take her hand to tell her that we are leaving when suddenly I smell the presence of another vampire.

_She was here, sitting at this table, _I think grimly to myself.

"Rosamund, she was here, when did she leave?," I ask Sookie coldly as I grab her arm a little bit too roughly to bring her to her feet.

"Eric are you okay?," she asks concerned.

"When was she here and what did she say?," I ask.

"Umm she left not too long before you came back. She didn't say anything much really just wanted to say goodnight. She only sat down for a few minutes," Sookie answers.

I begin to realize how rough I am being with her, so I rub her arm for a moment and put my hand around her waist. "We are going now."

I lead her back up to our room and close the door behind us.

"Eric, you're scaring me, tell me what's the matter?," Sookie says on the verge of tears.

I stalk towards the window and look out for a moment. I need to tell her everything. "There are a few things we need to talk about," I say as I face her again.

I go back to her, take her hands, and lead her to the sofa. We sit down and she puts her hands on her lap.

"Sookie, there was a reason why I was working so much these past few months." She looks at me with curiosity waiting for me to continue. "I have been working so much so that I could improve my chances of becoming a monarch for the Louisiana state. The reason for this was you. I wanted to make sure that no one would ever harm you again or try to take you away from me. I have been becoming more... friendlier with De Castro in the hopes that he would let me take over the state. Tonight he offered me the throne."

Her face lights up with hope. "That's great Eric. We won't have to worry about him anymore."

"Sookie let me finish," I say to her gently. The hope diminishes from her face. "He offered the throne to me with a few stipulations. One of which is to marry another monarch."

A pained feeling shoots across the bond and her face. "Who?," she says her voice breaking. I know that she already knows the answer.

"Rosamund Lefevre, the queen of France."

She looks at me with stony eyes but I can feel her anguish. "What did you say?"

"I refused his offer but with my refusal, there are consequences that will accompany that."

She looks away briefly and looks back at me again, "I suppose the usual threats. Your life, my life, and even my family and friends?"

I hold her hands. "He said that if I did not accept his conditions that you would have to come live here permanently with or without me."

"But I thought we were married..."

"We are. Which is why if we take that option I will stay and live with you here." I don't tell her that in all likelihood De Castro will have me killed in some way very soon. But Sookie is smart and she already knows this.

"He will find a way to kill you if you come to live with me here anyway." She wipes a tear away that escapes from her eye. "What are our other options?," she asks.

"We can leave. I have money and other homes in various parts of the world, so that is not a problem."

"What about my family and friends?"

I look away from her unable to tell her what would happen if we took that option, but my silence betrays me and she begins to cry.

"He will kill them, won't he?" she says between sobs.

I hold her as she cries feeling her grief. A moment later her grief turns into anger and she stands up.

"Why is he doing this? I will be his telepath whenever he fucking wants. I saved his fucking life so why can't he just leave us alone!," she yells.

I go to hold her as she continues to cry. Her sobs soon become silent and I can tell that she is starting to calm down.

She looks up at me and I wipe the tears from her face. She speaks again. "If you accept his offer, he will leave us alone and my family?"

I nod to her.

"But why does he want you to marry her?," she asks.

"He said it was mainly for financial and political reasons, but I suspect that there is more to it."

She walks away from me and goes to the window. "How long do we have before you have to decide your answer?," she asks, her back turned away from me.

"Until tomorrow night, I have to give him a definitive answer or he will choose for me."

She stands there for what seems an eternity before she turns towards me again. "I can't decide on anything right now Eric. My mind is too flooded and confused right now."

I go to her and hold her hands, "I will do whatever you think is right."

She looks up at me, "Are you asking me for permission to marry her?," she says somewhat angry.

"No. I will figure a way out of this and make everything alright. If I agree to his terms, then at least we will have a month before a marriage is to take place between me and her. She is still technically married till then. Though I will become king as soon as possible." I hold her again.

"There is another alternative Sookie," I say quietly. We are finally going into a topic that we haven't dealt with words yet.

She is quiet again. Finally she speaks, "You mean turning me into a vampire."

"If you were to become my child, then you would have more rights in my world. You would be bound to me and you would never be forced to leave my side. Humans cannot ascend into royalty, but you could become my queen if you became a vampire."

"But he could still kill my family," she says.

"Possibly, but he knows that would be useless since you would not be able to leave me anyway."

I can feel her turmoil as she thinks about the option. "If you turned me, I would eventually leave you anyways. You said once that a child always leaves their maker when they are ready."

"We would fight it," I tell her firmly.

She laughs, "You mean fight thousands of years of vampire instinct? Come on Eric, I'm not stupid. I know I would eventually have to leave you whether it be a couple of decades from now or a hundred years. Even if I became your queen we would only have one hundred years together."

"Then Pam will be your maker."

She looks at me with incredulous eyes. "No, if we were to take that option the only person who will change me is you. Do you want to know why I was so adamantly against becoming a vampire? It's because I was scared of losing my freedom to someone and having someone else have complete control of my life. With you I have already done that these past three years and it does not terrify me."

She removes her hands from mine and looks away. She breathes in deeply. "You said you have till tomorrow night. I need a little bit more time to think about this Eric."

"I know you do," I tell her in my gentlest tone.

She goes to our bedroom and I follow her. We don't speak as I help her out of her dress. She goes to the bathroom to wipe her nose and wash her face while I take off my clothes. She comes out the bathroom wearing her nightgown and we both climb into the bed.

"Please Eric just hold me tonight," she asks in a quiet tone.

I take her into my arms and hold her. A half hour later she is finally asleep. I remove myself from and go to the living room._ What a mess..._ I place both my palms on my forehead as I sit down on the sofa. I was truthful with her when I said that I would do whatever she thought was right. If I could have it my way, we would leave and never come back. But I know that she would not choose that option if her brothers' life is at stake. I work on my laptop until dawn. Finally I close it and head back to the bedroom and climb into bed beside Sookie. I let death overtake me.

**Sookie's POV:**

I wake up with puffy eyes and sorrow in my heart. I lie there in Eric's arms for a moment just thinking about what he has told me. I knew that my peaceful time period was too good to be true to last. It seems like trouble will always follow me no matter what.

I look over at the clock and see that it is 10 am. I remove myself from his embrace and head to the bathroom to take a shower. After my shower I give Eric one last kiss and head out to the living room. This afternoon I need to think about our future, my future, but I know that I can't do it here.

I decide to call Alcide and ask him if he could take me for a drive somewhere. Felipe had offered the use of one of his cars. We head downstairs with only Taylor to the lobby and wait for the car.

"So where do you want to go Sookie?," Alcide asks me while we're waiting.

"I don't know, just somewhere quiet and away from the city," I tell him.

He looks at me for a moment, "What's the matter Sook?," he says with worry in his eyes. "Did something happen between you and Eric?"

"No there's nothing wrong with us. There's just some stuff I need to think about. Don't worry about it Alcide," I say with a weak smile.

We drive one hour outside of Las Vegas on the highway. Alcide decided to take us to a state park. We stop and I step out of the car to look at the stunning desert landscape and mountains. I ask Alcide if I could just walk around and be by myself for the next couple of hours. He says it's fine but I know that he and Taylor will still be close enough to see me.

I walk for several minutes on a trail. Today it is clear, sunny and hot. I continue to walk until I come across a picnic table underneath a tree. I sit down and my first instinct is to start crying but I hold back the tears.

For twenty minutes I do nothing but stare at the scenery before me. Then my mind becomes plagued by all the new problems that lie ahead for me and Eric.

"What am I going to do...," I mutter quietly under my breath.

If we run away then they will surely kill my brother and friends. Even though a huge selfish part of me wants to do that, I know I would not be able to live with myself if they died because of me. Even if we ran away sometime within the next month, I doubt that they would be happy about it. They would have to seriously change their lives and leave their family and friends. There would be no peace with them because they would be constantly looking behind their backs.

Then another option that Eric did not mention was if I left him. I start to feel guilty because he has had to sacrifice so much in his life for me. I know that his life would be so much better without me, but the selfish part of me won't let him go. I doubt that he would let me go either under any circumstance. So that's not an option for me either.

Then there's becoming a vampire. When I was still recovering, becoming a vampire was something that I felt that I could do. I wanted to be with Eric forever and I still do. But I don't think I'm ready to give up the sun, breathing, and the other things that come with living. He's never mentioned how I would change mentally. Would I still be the same person or would I inherit traits associated with vampires? Could I see myself drinking the blood of other humans? Would I be able to ignore the vampire instinct of associating sex and blood? No, for now, becoming a vamp is definitely also not an option.

I think back to the past three years. It was him that saved me. I know that if he wasn't there, I definitely would not be alive today. He helped me recover mentally and physically. I owe him for so much that I don't think I will ever be able to repay him.

Could I watch him marry someone else even if was just a marriage for political reasons and not love? I know that they would have to consummate their marriage at least once a year for the next hundred years.

I sit there for the next couple of hours dwelling on my thoughts. I forget about the time and where I am until Alcide interrupts me from my deep thoughts.

"Hey Sook, I brought you some water. It's damn hot out here," he says as he hands me the water.

I smile weakly at him, "Thanks Alcide."

He sits down beside me. "Look I know you won't tell me what's up, but just remember Sook, I'll always be your friend and you always have the loyalty of the pack." He puts his hand on my leg.

"Thanks Alcide, I know. Listen, there's going to be a lot of changes coming soon. Probably not good, but don't worry about me, I will be fine," I tell him.

I can tell that he is more concerned now. "How bad is it?"

"It's pretty bad," I tell him, now I am struggling with my tears.

He puts his arm around me and I begin to cry. I cry for the next hour until I notice that the sun is starting to go down. I wipe away the last of my tears and Alcide hands me a piece of Kleenex from his pocket.

"Thanks," I say.

We head back to the car where Taylor is waiting for us. We drive back to the city and I am coming closer to my decision. When we reach the hotel I go back to my room. I head to the other bathroom and wash my face and look at myself in the mirror.

Eric has done a lot for me, now I am going to have to sacrifice some things for him. I down on the sofa and wait for him to rise this evening.

* * *

**A/N: Hello, I actually kept my promise, lol. So I know you are probably wondering what type of deal Felipe and Rosamund have. I was going to add that sidestory in this chapter but I think it will work better in a later chapter, so I will explain that in the future. As for the next chapter, I really wish I had my books now to use as references. I would greatly appreciate it if someone can PM me a quick summary of how a vamp coronation ceremony goes. I can't remember if there was any scenes like that in the books, but if there wasn't then I'll just make something up. Have a good day!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Eric's POV:**

I rise knowing that Sookie is very close by. A small part of me was worried that she would flee and try to save her brother and friends on her own. I can still feel distress from her but I also feel a sense of determination. I quickly put on my clothes and go out to the living room to find Sookie sitting on the sofa waiting for me.

"Hi," the first word she utters to me. She gives me a half smile and motions to me to sit with her.

I lean in to kiss her but she stops me by moving her head back. "We should probably talk first. I think if we start something now, we won't stop," she says.

"Yes, you are probably right. I have to meet De Castro in about an hour to give him my final answer," I tell her.

She gives me a brief pained look but brushes it away. "So I spent a few hours thinking about all of this. And I've come to a few conclusions. I can't, won't become a vampire, at least not right now, and under these circumstances."

I gently squeeze her hand in understanding. I knew that she would not agree to that idea.

She continues on, "And I can't run away with you either, not as long as my brother's life is in danger. I also don't want to stay here if it means that your life is in danger also. And also because I don't want to live here under his control."

I have a good idea of what her conclusion is.

As I look at her I can see the tears starting to form behind her eyes.

"So... I think...," her voice is breaking. "I think you should take the deal," she says quickly while closing her eyes. "It's the only way we can be together and keep the people I love safe," she manages to say.

I pull her into my arms and she is now sobbing. I kiss her forehead and run my fingers down her hair.

"I love you, nothing will change that. I promise I will fix this so that you will not suffer greatly," I say trying to reassure her.

"I don't know about that," she says, "I mean you are going to be married to someone else. She will be known as your wife in your world. Then where will that leave me?"

I look into her eyes, "You are still my wife. You are the only one that matters to me and the only one that I love. She will not be a part of our lives. You will not see her and I will only see her when it is deemed necessary."

She breaks away from me, "Eric, I wish you wouldn't make promises that you may not be able to keep. I'm only agreeing to this because of my brother and friends. And they may even discover Hunter. But the biggest reason is because I love you so much and I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me and I will never let you go. We will overcome these new challenges, I am certain of that," I tell her firmly.

"I know you will try Eric. I will also try my best to deal with the things to come," she says. I know she is thinking about the consummation of the royal marriage. There was a time when I craved Rosamund's body, but now the thought of it makes me shudder and a feeling of revolt washes over me.

"Well at least I know you won't enjoy it," she says laughing a little, but quickly goes back to looking distressed.

"Lover I have to go talk to Pam. I will come back before I go to see De Castro."

"Okay," she says as she wipes a tear away.

I make my way down the hall to Pam's room and enter using a spare key card. I find her, still dressed in last night's clothing, lying on her bed dead to the world. Marten must have worn her out completely.

"Wake up," I say as I shake her bed a little.

Her eyes open and she sits up, "Master."

"We have much to discuss," I say. I tell her all the details about what had happened yesterday night. She stiffens when I mention the royal marriage proposal.

"Master, you cannot go through with it," she says feeling some sadness and dread.

"Don't you think I already know that? There is something going on between her and De Castro. That I am sure of. I will find out what it is."

"How does Sookie feel about this?" she asks.

"As expected, she is extremely hurt and angry, but is trying to accept it."

"When do you have to go through with it?"

"In about four weeks time," I answer.

"There must be something that can be done. I mean we can...," she says.

"There is plenty that I can think of, but none that Sookie is willing to do!" I yell cutting her off. I close my eyes trying to rein in my anger.

"You will stay near Sookie indefinitely, do you understand?" I tell her. Rosamund may still be a jealous creature so I will not risk her safety.

"Yes master," she responds.

"Get dressed and come to my suite to stay with Sookie while I meet De Castro downstairs in his villa." I leave her room and send a message to Sookie's guards to come to our suite as well.

When I return I find Sookie staring at the television. She is not really watching it, but rather just staring blankly at the images. She looks up and smiles at me. I go and hold her again.

Twenty minutes later, the steel drapes automatically open to reveal the night sky. Pam also walks in with the vampire guards at the same time as well.

"Lover I have to go now," I tell her softly as I reluctantly let her go.

"I know," she whispers. A tear falls down her left cheek. I catch it with my tongue and savour the taste of her tear.

"You did that before, at Alcide's apartment," she says, "That seems like another lifetime ago."

"Not to me, it seems just like yesterday," I tell her. I kiss her deeply for a few minutes. After that I hug her one more time and head downstairs.

I arrive at De Castro's hotel villa and get by his personal guards. He is sitting at a desk going through papers when I enter the living room area.

"Ahh Northman, I am glad that you have arrived," he says as he looks up. "I was a bit concerned that you might attempt to escape, but I am happy to see that you are smarter than that. Please sit down."

I sit at one of the armchairs. He gets up from his chair behind the desk and sits on the sofa.

"So I take it that you have an answer for me," he says smugly.

"Yes your majesty. I will accept your terms with a few conditions of my own."

He stares at me, "Northman I am not sure that you are in a position to bargain with me. But since you have been loyal and proven valuable to me, I will listen."

"I want your assurance that you will no longer interfere with my relationship with Sookie. That you will no longer meddle in her life, as well her brother's and friends' lives. I promise you that her talents will still be at your disposal but only within reasonable terms."

He looks at me vacantly and responds, "Very well. I can agree to that. I will require the use of her talents from time to time, but I promise that it will be only when it is a comfortable time for her."

"I also don't want you to interfere in my marriage to Rosamund or in the marriage negotiations," I say.

He smiles, "Of course that is between you and her. I don't want to get between the affairs of an engaged couple who are soon to be wed. Is that all?"

I nod my head.

"Very well. Now there is someone who is anxious to meet with you." He dials a number on his phone and a moment later, his guest arrives.

Rosamund slinks into the room giving me a lustful stare and smile. I scowl at her.

"Ms. Lefevre," De Castro as he gets up to greet her. He kisses her on both cheeks. "May I be the first to congratulate you on your forthcoming marriage. I wish nothing but happiness and prosperity for you both."

"Northman, aren't you going to get up to greet your fiancé?" he says.

I stand and she offers me her hand. I quickly brush my lips against it.

"Is that how you properly greet your betrothed?" she says. She suddenly puts her arms around my waist and leans up to kiss me on the lips. I can feel her tongue trying to part my lips but I refuse to open them. I move my head away from her to break away from the kiss.

"I can see that you two would like to be alone," De Castro jeers. "You two have much to discuss such as wedding arrangements and engagement parties." He leaves the room as I continue to scowl at her.

"Oh I wish you would loosen up Eric. Who knows, this marriage could turn out to be fun for both of us," she says smiling as she tries to put her hand on my chest, but I grab it and swipe it aside.

"There are going to be rules in this arrangement and the number one rule is you do not touch me unless I say so," I tell her in a low deadly tone.

The smug smile that was plastered on her face a few seconds ago is now gone and replaced with a frown. "Do not threaten me Viking. Clearly it is not in your best interest to do so."

"On the contrary, De Castro has agreed to not intrude in the affairs between us. Now sit down, " I tell her harshly.

She takes a seat and I continue to stand. "First of all, this is merely a political marriage, nothing more. You will stay out of my private affairs unless it has to do with business or issues within our kingdoms. Are we clear on that?"

At first I can tell she is about to protest but wisely decides against it. She hesitantly nods her head.

"Secondly, you will stay away from my bonded wife. You will not attempt to contact her and you will not try to interfere with my relationship with her."

She smiles at that. "Oh I don't know if I can agree to that Eric. After all we have to spend a certain amount of time together throughout the year. It is the law that we both spend an allocated time in one another's kingdoms, not to mention the social events that we must attend together, business meetings and my personal favourite, the conjugal visits. Surely since you are so close to her, our paths would eventually cross."

I try to remain composed as I know that she is right. When I become king my schedule will be very hectic. The amount of time that I have already spent away from Sookie has been very hard to bear already. She will have to play a larger role in my world now. "The conjugal visits will only be the minimum once a year. Even then, those meetings will mean nothing to me. As for the amount of time I will be forced to spend with you, you will not attempt to address Sookie at any time. If I see you so much as look her way in a manner that displeases me, I will find a way to end your life."

She looks at me angrily, "You know that I don't respond to threats very well Eric. Since this is an important issue for you, then I will not address her unless she comes to me."

"Is this the end of our marriage negotiations?" she asks me.

"For now," I say.

She gets up from the sofa and stands by me closely, "We still have to go before the council to get approval for our wedding. I've already arranged for that in three weeks. By then I hope your attitude improves. I truly believe this marriage will prove to be beneficial for both of us."

I look into her eyes, "If you think by marrying me will invoke any affectionate feelings in me for you, you are gravely mistaken. If you think that you will be happy, I can assure you it will be the opposite. I never had any feelings of love or tenderness towards you. You are nothing more to me than just a forgettable fuck."

"I don't believe you," she says adamantly. "You will change your mind and then it will be like the way it was between us in the beginning when we first met, but this time even better." She walks out of the room.

I sit on the sofa for several minutes thinking about what has transpired. After awhile I leave as well but not before heading to the bathroom and washing my face and lips. I go back to the hotel room and dismiss the guards and Pam.

"So I take it everything has been settled?" Sookie says sombrely.

"The initial agreement is settled. Now we have to get the approval of the council and finalize our agreement in writing," I say deliberately using the word agreement instead of marriage.

She walks toward the dining area as though she is trying to put space between us, but I close in on her and embrace her from behind. Her body feels rigid against mine so I begin to kiss her temple and rub my hands along her stomach and above her sex. I can feel her starting to relax.

"I still can't believe how things have changed within just twenty-four hours," she says. I can smell the tears starting to form behind her eyes.

"We will rise above this, I swear my lover," I whisper into her ear.

She turns around to face me and puts her arms around my neck. "I know Eric. I can feel your love and tenacity." She leans up to kiss me. I lower my head to kiss her back passionately as well.

I begin to sense her arousal and I grind myself against her as I move my hands down her back. I grip her thighs to lift her and bring her to eye level. We continue kissing and she starts to moan in my mouth.

"Promise me Eric, promise that when you have to be with her, it won't be like this," she says between kisses in a strained voice.

"Never my love, it will never be like this," I say coarsely.

I carry her to the bedroom and gently lower her on the mattress. I remove my clothing quickly and join her on the bed. I sit up and start by removing her shoes and kissing my way to her inner thigh. She is enjoying it so I tug her panties down and remove them as well. I push her sundress up around her waist and she widens her legs for me. She is already wet so I slowly run my tongue along her folds and can instantly taste her juices. I circle my tongue around her nub and stick a finger inside her. I move my finger in and out of her rubbing her g-spot. I can feel her tightening around my finger as her orgasm is coming quickly.

"Eric I need to feel you inside me right now," she pleads.

I am eager to be inside her as well so I sit up and rip her dress down the middle. Her bra is in the way so I snap that away too. I kiss her breast quickly before meeting her mouth. She reaches between us and grabs my hard cock. She strokes it a few times and positions it at her entrance. After she removes her hand I push in completely filling her. We both groan at the same time. I pump languidly in and out for a few minutes allowing her the time to adjust. After that, I pick up the pace.

"Harder, faster," she says coarsely.

I oblige her and pump her harder and faster. She starts to clench around me. My fangs pop out and I bite her on the neck. She screams out in pleasure as I draw out blood. I remove my fangs and my own orgasm overpowers me also. I continue to pump in and out of her slowly as I lick the tiny wounds. We are both still in post coital bliss.

"I just bought that dress a few days ago," she softly says smiling still trying to catch her breath.

"Couldn't be helped my love," I say smiling back. "Ready for more?" I ask, still very hard.

She smiles at me, "Always."

Two Weeks Later:

I sit at my desk in Shreveport going through my work. These past two weeks since we returned from Las Vegas have been very busy. The night after I agreed to take the throne, De Castro declared me the king of Louisiana. The formal official coronation ceremony is to take place in New Orleans in about two weeks but I have immediately acquired all the burdens and work that went along with the kingdom. I have already had to deal with issues and vampires from specific areas. I have made Pam the sheriff of this area in order to ensure the continued protection of Sookie's family and friends as well as my various businesses. During the last few months I have been in contact with several vampires that I have known very well to possibly become sheriffs after I remove the ones that I have felt are inadequate.

There is also the issue of having to move to New Orleans in order to run the state effectively. I had thought that Sookie would be strongly against that idea, but so far she has complied. She says that even though it will be hard to leave Shreveport and Bon Temps, her home is where I am. We have acquired a temporary home there until a new residence is built. Living in Sophie's former residence is definitely not an option. The building of a new home in New Orleans has also been something that I have been planning during the past few months.

As for Sookie, I can still feel her turmoil. When I am at work, I know she is feeling conflicted when she shuts off her part of the bond. I have spent as much time as I can with her in order to reassure her of my love and devotion. But there are times when she puts on a facade that she is content, an act that she usually uses in front of people that she fears and feels uncomfortable around. The fact that she is acting this way around me troubles me greatly. But I am determined to keep the closeness between us so I have been sharing my blood with her more frequently even when she is hesitant.

Just then the intercom buzzes and my assistant speaks, "Mr. Northman, I'm sorry to bother you, but there is a phone call from Rosamund Lefevre. She says she is your fiancée."

I growl and pick up the phone. "What do you want?"

"Eric, you know what I want," she purrs in an attempted sexy voice. "But I was just calling you to see if you were ready for Vancouver next week."

"Yes I am ready," I say in a clipped tone.

"And also I was calling to tell you that the wedding plans have been coming along smoothly, even though you haven't helped out at all. But of course I forgive you. Men hardly ever trouble themselves with such plans. The arrangements of the coordinator are lovely, I can't wait till you see it when you come here," she says happily. I honestly didn't care about where and how we were to be wed, though I would have preferred something quick and informal. It was to take place in two and a half weeks time in France after my coronation ceremony.

She continues on, "I have chosen beautiful garments for us and I have even found something quite lovely for Sookie."

I am becoming angrier, "Do not say her name. She will not wear anything that you have chosen. I don't have time to deal with this nonsense. I will see you in Vancouver." I hang up on her.

I have been trying to come up with solutions on how to avoid as much personal contact with her. The blood exchange at the ceremony is unavoidable, but that will be the only time when she will taste my blood. I will not be showing her any type of affection during our marriage. As for sex, I have not yet told her yet I will be wearing a condom even though I do not need them. That is probably the only aspect that I am looking forward to is her reaction when she realizes that we will not be exchanging bodily fluids.

Suddenly I can no longer feel Sookie as she has shut off her part of the bond again and I feel immediately aggravated. I am already angry and frustrated from the phone call so I decide to go home and be with her.

_One more week till Vancouver_, I tell myself as I head towards my car. I still have a faint hope that the council will not approve the marriage, but it's doubtful.

One Week Later: Vancouver

I arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia with my lawyer Cataliades. I had invited Sookie to come but she declined. She decided to remain in New Orleans with Pam to settle into our temporary home. It aches to be away from her but this is only a one night business trip. We head to the hotel on Vancouver Island to check in and wait for the arrival of Rosamund and Victor Madden, who is acting as De Castro's representative.

Every one hundred years, the vampire council moves its headquarters to various cities in the world. This century the council is based in Vancouver. The makeup of the council is similar to that of the UN Security Council. There are five permanent members who are the perhaps the oldest vampires known to exist. The ten other members are elected by kings and queens to serve fifty year terms.

I do some work on my laptop in my room while I wait for them. My cell rings and it's Sookie.

"My lover," I answer.

"Hey honey, you arrived safely?" she asks.

"Yes, I am at the hotel."

"Oh. Is it almost time for your meeting?" she asks sounding despondent.

"Soon," I reply.

There is a beep on the phone indicating another call.

"Lover I have another call, it is probably my lawyer," I say.

"Okay," she replies in a whisper. "Call me later?"

"Of course I will," I say, "I love you," I add.

"I love you too Eric," she says.

I click on my phone to answer the other call and it is Madden.

"We're waiting downstairs in the lobby," he says before hanging up.

I immediately call my lawyer to meet us downstairs. I put on my jacket and head downstairs to meet Madden and Rosamund.

"Eric you look positively handsome as usual," Rosamund says with lustful eyes.

I ignore her and look at Madden.

"Northman, I am glad to see that you have arrived safely," he says cheerfully. "Your future queen was worried about your arrival since you are not yet travelling with royal guards."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes so I try and change the subject. "Victor, how have things been in your kingdom?"

"Very good. Thank you for asking," he says. He won't be having a coronation ceremony since he is still under the rule of De Castro even though he is technically a king. His role is more like a steward.

"Shall we go?" I ask everyone. We all get into the limo and take the short ride to the council headquarters.

We arrive at the office and greeted by the council secretary John Wilcox, a six hundred year old English born vampire. "Mr. Northman and Ms. Lefevre, I am glad to see the both of you again. The council will be ready to see you in a few minutes."

We sit in the waiting area and Madden chooses to open his mouth again. "So Northman I hear that your child is planning your coronation ceremony next week. Will your bonded and your soon to be wife both be playing roles in that occasion?"

I tense up. I knew that he would say something eventually that would anger me as he loves to create uncomfortable situations.

"Yes Eric, I have not been given an itinerary even though I have requested one from Pam," Rosamund says.

"My wife Sookie will be by my side during the ceremony. Since we are not yet married she is still

A/N **Hey! I feel like such an asshole. There are alot of people who have been waiting for the next chapter, but me, I have been busy these past two weeks. so here's part of the chapter, i'll post the rest and the next chapter by thursday. sorry and thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Alright here is the continuation of chapter 9 that I did not finish. Chapter ten is included in this one. I'm already starting to write the next chapter since tomorrow is a work day for me, want to get it almost finished before then. **

One Week Later: Vancouver Chapter 9 continued...

We sit in the waiting area and Madden chooses to open his mouth again. "So Northman I hear that your child is planning your coronation ceremony next week. Will your bonded and your soon to be wife both be playing roles in that occasion?"

I tense up. I knew that he would say something eventually that would anger me as he loves to create uncomfortable situations.

"Yes Eric, I have not been given an itinerary even though I have requested one from Pam," Rosamund says.

"My wife Sookie will be by my side during the ceremony. Since you and I are not yet married you will not be a part of my coronation ceremony, rather merely an observer," I say glaring at Rosamund.

"Would that be a wise decision Northman?" Madden says with a raised eyebrow. "I mean you are trying to show the world your power and the stability of that position. Not including your future queen in your celebration would make you look weak. And besides I don't think Felipe would be too keen on your idea."

I can't help but give him a fierce look, "Felipe is no longer my superior. We are equals now. If he is unsatisfied on how I conduct my affairs then he can tell me himself and I will consider his suggestions. As for looking weak, I thought that having you, Felipe, and Rosamund as my allies would make me stronger than ever before," I say in an almost mock tone.

Before Madden can respond, Wilcox returns. "The council is ready to see you now.

He walks up ahead of us, "The council members have read your written statements," he says. "You may ask them your requests. They may have answers and questions for you as well." We all nod in understanding.

He leads us to a large white circular room where fifteen of the most powerful vampires on the planet are sitting. The five elder vampires sit side by side in front of us, while the rest are sitting around the room.

"Your excellences, I present king Eric Northman of Louisiana, queen Rosamund Lefevre of France, and Victor Madden of Arkansas," he says as he respectfully bows.

We all bow before the Elder vampires as well.

"You request approval for a royal marriage, is that correct?" the ancient Greek vampire Castor asks.

I nod, but Rosamund speaks, "Yes your excellence. King Northman and I would like to marry in the traditional customs and unite our kingdoms."

"I see that you are still married to Ulrich," he says.

"Yes we are still married, but our marriage will no longer be valid in five days. I have our marriage documents and the signed document by Ulrich acknowledging this fact."

"You have stated in your written statement that you have bonded yourself to a human and have married her in our customs, is this correct?" One of the elder vampires, Lucius Antonius asks me. He was a Roman politician during his human time and now being a permanent member of the vampire council, he obviously didn't want to deviate from that career path.

"Yes your Eminence. We have been bonded and married for over three years now," I answer.

"It is unusual for a vampire especially one as old as yourself to attach themselves to a human. Do you plan to turn her?" he asks.

"Yes that is the plan. But for now she will remain human."

He continues with his questioning, "Who witnessed your union with her?"

I glance at Madden who is standing beside me. "Victor Madden."

Lucius Antonius looks at him, "I see. You also stated that fact in your statement as well Madden, but you also added some information that Northman failed to mention. Perhaps you would like to state this information orally."

Now I am wondering what he is getting at. I am startled but I keep my disposition neutral.

"Yes your eminence. I did witness Northman and his human's marriage union. I was at Northman's club in Louisiana when she came into the room. Northman asked her if she had anything to present him with and she took out a wrapped parcel from her handbag. Northman motioned her to present it to him, he opened it and it was the ceremonial dagger. He accepted her gift."

Antonius looks at me, "So that was your marriage ceremony with your human?"

"Yes your eminence. She presented me with the dagger and I openly accepted it in the presence of Victor Madden."

"How did you come upon this dagger?" he asks me.

"I kept it when I officiated the ceremony of Russell Edgington and Bartlett Crowe."

"You are aware that something as sacred as that dagger should have been returned to us immediately," he says sternly.

"Of course your majesty, I returned it the day after my wife presented it to me. Please accept my apology, but I wanted to wed her in our customs and to keep her from being taken by other vampires."

"We can punish you by not approving your marriage," he says. He thinks of it as a punishment but to me it is a gift. Before I can respond both Rosamund and Madden speak.

"Your honors, there was no harm done. The ceremonial dagger is safely in your esteemed hands. Please your eminences, it would be a punishment to me as well if I cannot be allowed to marry Northman," Rosamund says in a worrisome tone.

"Perhaps the council members may listen to the rest of my statement," Madden says.

"Very well," Castor says in a bored tone.

"When I witnessed their union it appeared to me that she did not know what was happening. She looked confused and fearful of Northman. What I wrote in my statement was should Northman's so-called marriage to the human Ms. Stackhouse be considered legal."

I form my hands into fists and try to calm myself internally to not kill Madden at this very moment.

"Is this true Northman? Did you mislead your human wife?" Antonius asks.

I take a moment to figure out my response. "I did what was necessary to protect her and to keep her with me. We completed our bond with the use of that ceremonial knife. She is aware of the fact that we are now married and accepts it."

"You didn't answer my question, yes or no," he says.

I glance around the room, "Yes."

I can see the heads of the members quickly glancing at one another.

"Madden what is your answer to the question that you have asked?" Castor says.

"I think that their marriage should be declared invalid because it appeared as though she didn't realize what was going on. I had the feeling that Ms. Stackhouse was being deceived into a situation that she wasn't prepared for or wanted. Northman obviously kept a sacred object that he did not have the authorization to use for that time."

The council members look quickly at each other as though they are deliberating silently between one another.

"We have already come to a conclusion before you came to face us after reading your written statements. Our decision has not changed since we have heard you speak," Castor says to us.

He continues on, "Your royal marriage is hereby approved by the council." I can see Rosamund's gleeful reaction from the corner of my eye.

"Northman, your marriage to your bonded human is now declared legally invalid due to the actions that you have undertaken."

"But your excellence..." I sputter out, but he cuts me off.

"Our decision is final Northman. If you choose to try to marry her again in our customs it will still be illegal. As punishment for taking a sacred article without our consent, you will not be able to marry your human for an unspecified amount of time. Since the dagger is back in our property we shall give you some leniency. You may come back to us in a year and we may alter our decision. Wilcox, escort them out."

I stare at the council member feeling dazed and unable to move. _What am I going to tell Sookie?_

**CHAPTER 10:**

**Sookie's POV:**

The move from Shreveport to New Orleans has been unreal. I feel like I am walking and living in a nightmare, hoping and praying that I will wake up. But I never do. The past few weeks have been the toughest of my life. It feels even worse than when I was first recovering from the fairy attack. I keep waiting for Eric to tell me that he has another plan, that it will just be me and him, that we will leave this place and my family will be safe. But of course that's not going to happen. He reassures me every day that everything will be alright and sends me his love through our bond. Though this is a devastating situation I still have faith and trust in him. He saved my life and has given me more than I needed. Now it is my turn to give back, and that means trusting him. But ever since he returned from Vancouver, he seems more distant. I am unsure of what to make of that, but I am trying to keep my mind from wandering to negative thoughts.

_Ding Dong!_

The doorbell interrupts my train of thoughts. I put aside my book that I wasn't even concentrating on to answer the door. I open the door to find Bobby Burnham. _I guess he must have followed Eric here_, I think wryly.

"How are you today Bobby on this fine afternoon?" I say with a sarcastic smile and tone.

He frowns at me. "Ms. Stackhouse, I have a parcel for you from Mr. Northman. He told me to tell you to not open it until he rises." He practically shoves the box in my arms and walks away.

"Jerk", I mutter under my breath.

I close the door and shake the box a little. _I wonder what he is up to..._

I put the box on the coffee table in the family room. I walk around the room trying to get used to our new temporary home, which in reality is a mansion, too large for just me and Eric. I was surprised that we found a home so quickly and even more surprised when Eric told that another house, a permanent home, was being built at this very moment. He was definitely planning on becoming king of Louisiana that's for sure. Moving here wasn't that difficult either. The only thing I had to do was pack some personal items and my clothes. We haven't sold our Shreveport house because we will still go there from time to time to visit.

We still haven't fully talked about his new marriage. Mostly because it is too painful for me to think about. But we will have to cross that bridge very soon, within the next few days, despite how hard it is going to be.

I decide to try and do some of my school work to keep myself busy until Eric rises. I read until Janet, our maid, comes into the room.

"Sookie, dinner is ready," she tells me.

"Thanks Janet," I say. Eric insisted that we get a house maid since he is now a king. I interviewed a few women who came highly recommended and when I probed Janet's mind, I saw how honest and kind she was. I hate having someone wait on me, but I let her do her job because she is afraid that my vampire will become angry with her if I am caught doing menial chores. But I insisted that she call me Sookie and not Ms. Stackhouse, though she does call me that whenever Eric is around.

I eat my dinner in silence in the dining room. Since Las Vegas I have pretty much lost my appetite so I have been forcing my food down my throat. I don't want Eric to start worrying about my health if I begin to lost weight.

The sun is still out but through our bond I can feel that he is awake now. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I check. It is a text message from him.

_Lover come downstairs and bring the package that Bobby brought. _

I finish eating my baked potato and go to the family room to pick up the box. I head downstairs through the hidden passageway and punch in the door code; as soon as it opens, Eric tosses the box aside and picks me up.

"Lover I missed you today," he tells me between kisses on my neck.

"How can you miss me, when you are dead during the day," I giggle.

"That's true, but if I were alive I would miss you dreadfully," he says.

He carries me to our bed and we make love just once. Normally it would be several times but he gets up and walks across the room to pick up the box. He hands me the box and sits up next to me.

"Open it," he says.

I get up as well and pull the sheet over my breasts. I smile at him and open it. Inside is a beautiful light blue beaded evening gown.

"What's this for?" I say smiling to him.

"You'll see. Pam helped me pick this out. She said that you would love this and it's more your style," he says kissing me on the cheek. "Now we should shower and get dressed. You'll be wearing this tonight because I have a special evening planned for us."

"You're not working tonight?" I ask.

"No lover, tonight it is just you and me," he says. He grabs my hand and leads me to the bathroom. We shower and get ready for what seems to be a date.

When the sun is down we head upstairs where he leads me outside to a waiting limo. He doesn't say anything and I don't really feel like speaking either until I notice that we are heading towards the airport.

"Are we going somewhere?" I ask.

"Just wait and see," is all he says.

We drive to the hangar where his newly bought jet is waiting for us. We take our seats and take off. The captain doesn't say over the intercom of where we are heading. I drink a glass of champagne and he drinks Royalty Blend.

"So you are not going to tell me where we are going?" I ask one more time.

"Wait and see," he says again.

I sigh, close my eyes and lay my head against the headrest. I feel his lips on mine a few seconds later and we make out for awhile. Eventually I sit on his lap and tell him about my school work while he listens to me attentively. I am careful not to talk to him about Rosamund, as I am not ready yet and don't want to ruin our evening.

When we are getting ready to descend, he pulls out a black scarf.

"What's that for?" I ask.

"To cover up your eyes," he says.

I smile, "No Eric, I don't want to put that on. I'm already dying to know where you're taking me and what's going on."

He whispers in my ear and nibbles on my earlobe, "Sookie, please put it on. I have a really big surprise for you."

He definitely knows what to do to make me change my mind. I nod and he ties the scarf around my head. By the flight time, I calculate that we are arriving in Shreveport, but I have no idea why he would put a scarf over my eyes if we're just in Shreveport. When we land and come to a complete stop, he picks me up and carries me outside. He puts me into a car and closes the door. He gets into the driver's seat and speeds off to our unknown destination. Half hour later we are still on the road and my patience is wearing thin.

"Honey, you so owe me for this," I huff in the seat beside him.

He grabs my hand, "I will spend an eternity making it up to you," he says laughing gently.

Ten minutes later the car is pulling up to our destination. I go to remove the blindfold, but he stops me.

"Just one more minute please," he says.

I groan and nod my head. He gets out and opens the door for me. He carefully helps me out of the car. I start to walk but he suddenly lifts me into his arms again. He carries me somewhere and sets me down.

"You can look now," he says as he removes the blindfold. My eyes flutter trying to get used to being able to see again and I am awed by our surrounding.

We are standing at my farmhouse only it has been transformed. There are outdoor lights flashing the house. We are in the backyard standing in a beautiful newly made gazebo. There is also a new garden of breathtaking flowers around us and a paved pathway to the front porch. Above us in the gazebo there are thousands of tiny little lights that look like stars.

"Oh my god, when did you do this?" I ask taking in our surroundings.

"The construction happened about a week ago. The gazebo was already built and a gardening company brought in the flower beds," he says. He goes to the side and presses a button. All of a sudden a cheesy 80s hair band love song starts to play.

I laugh and he looks at me confused.

"I thought you liked this type of music. You always play these kinds of songs at home," he says.

I go up to him and put my hands on his cheeks. "Oh honey, yes I do love this type of music." I grab his hand and lead him to the center to slow dance. I relax against him and decide that just for this night to forget about all our problems.

We dance a few more songs and finally pull away from each other. He goes back to the side of the gazebo and pulls out a basket full of ice and a bottle of expensive champagne. He pours a glass and hands it to me.

"Are you trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me?" I tease.

"Yes, is my plan working so far?" he says.

"Mmmmm, maybe. But it's going to take a lot more than just this," I say back to him.

"I was hoping you would say something like that," he tells me. I take a sip on my champagne.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," he takes the glass from me and sets it aside.

I start to feel nervous because I now know what he is up to. He stands in front of me and gets down on one knee.

He pulls out a tiny black velvet box from his pocket and opens it, "Sookie I love you more than anyone I have known in my long life, I want to spend eternity with you, will you accept this ring and marry me?"

I look at the beautiful round cut white diamond platinum ring that has tiny clusters of smaller diamonds around the large one. I am speechless.

"But you said we were already married," I manage to whisper.

His face falls for a brief second but he covers it up and smiles, "Lover you have always said that our ceremony doesn't count as a wedding and you don't feel like we are married, so I am asking you now. I know that the only way to convince you is if we marry by human laws."

I continue to look back and forth at him and the ring. I never had the strong desire to marry. Before Eric and Bill, I was turned off by human men and pretty much written off the idea that I will ever marry. With Bill I thought that it was possible for me to get married but after he broke my heart I decided against the idea again. With Eric and the three years that we have been together, we have never talked about a human ceremony. He already felt that we were married and that was good enough for me as well. Then all my worries start creeping up on me again.

"I don't know Eric. I mean you're going through with another ceremony in a less than a week and you'll be so busy with your duties," I say with my voice faltering.

He stands up and places his hands on my arms. "Sookie, I love you, you know that." I can feel his love flowing through our bond and it's comforting. "I swear to you we will get through this." He says kissing me lightly on my lips. "Please say yes, I am willing to get down on my knees and beg."

A silent tear falls from my eye. I look into his eyes and can see the sincerity and the whole hearted adoration. _I must trust him,_ I remind myself. I recall one time when I was 19, and I struck out with yet another guy. I was crying to Gran, feeling sorry for myself and telling her that I will never marry or find a guy to spend the rest of my life with. She held me as I cried and afterwards she told me that it would not be true. She said that one day soon a man would love me for who I am and he would do anything for me to make me happy always. She said that he would be as special as I was. Immediately I just thought she was just saying that to make me feel better, but when I looked into her mind, I was surprised to find that she was being truthful. She was right, a thousand year old Viking is as special as anyone can be. I now wonder if she had an intuitive moment.

"Please say yes," he says again, leaning his forehead against mine.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes for a few seconds. I look up at him. "Yes I will marry you," I say with a smile on my face.

He picks me up and gives me a passionate kiss. After awhile he finally sets me on my feet and puts the diamond ring on my finger.

I look at the ring, "It's beautiful."

"Pam helped me design this ring, I got it made in New York swiftly with the help of Marten," he says.

We kiss again and he sweeps me up into his arms.

"Now we consummate this monumental occasion," he says giving me a quick kiss.

I laugh happily as he carries me into the house.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: People think that this story is too sad to read and that's fine and all, I would probably think the same thing too if I was a reader. But I'm a firm believer of the saying, 'the best things in life don't come easy' which is why I am a fan of angst stories and I am applying that to the Sookie fiction universe too (LOL). But of course there's the argument that can be made that Sookie has already gone through a lot, that this is too excessive, and that's agreeable, but this is the direction that I have chosen to take. Like I said in an earlier chapter Sookie will be going through hard times but she will have more happy times than sad moments. I think that if I started to write a story where she and Eric are happy, no worries, everything is peachy keen type of story, I would get bored and lose interest in writing it. That being said, on with the chapter. By the way sorry for the long delay. I was having trouble with writing decent sentences and plots plus real life got in the way. I'm so self conscious of my writing abilities, so I'm unsure of how good the quality of this chapter is. Next chapter will be Eric's POV.**

**Sookie's POV:**

Tonight was the night for Eric's coronation ceremony and despite of everything that was going on, I was so excited for him. Pam and I went shopping for new gowns to wear. I had chosen a red Valentino gown, Eric's favourite colour. The vampires were still sleeping so I was getting ready by myself. I had gone to a salon and got my nails and hair done. They also did my makeup. By the time they were done, I didn't look like myself. I looked more like the glamorous person that Eric should be with. Vampires from across the country and from other nations had been invited so I was nervous about meeting the vampire elite. I still wasn't fully informed about what my role was going to be in this ceremony so that made me even more nervous. I also wasn't sure if Rosamund was going to be there. I never asked Eric, but in the limited amount of time that I've known her, I had a feeling that she would not miss this event for anything. I stare at my engagement ring and replay Eric's proposal in my mind and smile to myself. Though I know he already thinks that we're married, our human marriage ceremony will make it seem even more real to me. My good feelings are disrupted by the thoughts of Eric's other marriage that was to take place in a few days. Whether I was ready to face it or not, I couldn't help but think he was going to be a bigamist which was such a dirty word in the human world. I know that it wasn't his fault and choice, but I couldn't help but think of what Gran would think and say if she were still alive. Hell she was probably rolling around in her grave right now.

I decide to lay out my gown in the sitting room before I start to second guess myself even more. I also grab the new pumps that I bought. Just as I am about to unzip the gown from its bag, I feel a pair of arms snake around my waist.

"Good evening Lover," Eric whispers into my ear as he nibbles on it.

I put my hand on his arm, "Hey." I turn my head and smile at him giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. He leans in to kiss me on the lips but I move my head away.

"Honey, not right now, I just got my makeup and hair done. I don't want to ruin it so soon," I tell him.

"Fine," he sulks and gives me a kiss on my forehead. "Since I know that you will refuse me, I'm going to take a shower alone."

As Eric is showering I finish unzipping the bag and pull out my new gown. I know that he's going to want to work for a bit since it is still sunrise, so I turn on my laptop to check my emails. I find one strange email with an address and name that I am not familiar with.

_Vithar: Getting ready for the big shindig tonight?_

I stare at the message looking confused. I decide to respond.

_Sookie: Yes I am, who is this?_

The messenger promptly replies with an instant chat message.

_Vithar: You've already forgotten me? I think that you have hurt my feelings. : (_

I take a minute to think about the people that I've met recently and one name comes to mind.

_Sookie: Marten?_

_Vithar: Right on! Is the big tall blonde clumsy vampire there with you?_

_Sookie: No he is in the shower. Are you coming to the ceremony tonight?_

_Vithar: Unfortunately not. Too many obligations here in NY. I must get back to my duties. Tell him congratulations and I hope to see you both very soon in the future. _

_Sookie: Ok I will tell him. Take care. _

_Vithar: You too Sookie. Just remember everything happens for a reason and you will overcome this and become stronger. If that bitch gives you any problems just tell me and I will take care of it. _

I smile and chuckle.

_Sookie: Thanks Marten, any more messages?_

_Vithar: Yes, say hi to Pam and give her a kiss for me. _

_Vithar: Scratch that, don't kiss her because I am not there to witness it. _

I laugh a little.

_Sookie: Goodbye. _

I shut my laptop. Eric comes out of the bathroom still drying himself off.

"I heard you laughing," he says.

"Yeah I was chatting on the internet."

"With who?" he says with one eyebrow raised.

I roll my eyes. "Your friend the king of New York. He told me to tell you that he could not make it and congratulations."

"Oh," is all he says. Normally he would ask me a ton of questions whenever I conversed with another male but he lets it slide. He goes to his desk and starts typing on his computer and texting on his phone.

Hours pass and sun finally sets. We both get dressed and head upstairs to the main floor. As soon as we emerge we are greeted by Pam who is looking radiant in her Versace gown that is similar to the colour of a sunflower.

"Master," she says as she bows. "Sookie you look absolutely delicious," she says turning to face me with a fanged smile.

"Thanks Pam. You look beautiful." I give her a small hug which takes her by surprise, but she hugs me back.

"Master the limos are here," she says.

We head outside meeting up with my two vampire bodyguards. The guards take one car while Pam, Eric and I take the other. We ride in silence feeling overwhelmed with anticipation of the night to come.

An hour later we finally arrive at our destination, a country club and garden outside of New Orleans. We stop at the front entrance and step out of the car.

"Hello, my name is Katherine Whitemore, I'm with E(E)E. I was hired by Ms. Ravenscroft to assist her in the coordination of this ceremony," she says smiling at Eric but especially at Pam. Immediately I can tell that she is not entirely human and is attracted to Pam. "If you would come with me, we shall get you prepared for the ceremony."

Eric takes my hand as she leads us into the building. The foyer is beautifully decorated with red velvet drapes and crystal chandeliers. Tapestries adorn the walls. The walls are off white with arches leading to the main hall. As we are walking I look towards the main hall and see dozens of vampires conversing amongst themselves. We walk up a rounded staircase and towards a room at the end of the hallway. She opens the door for us.

In the room stands Felipe, Victor Madden, and another man that I have not met.

"Eric," Felipe says smiling. "Mizz Stackhouse you look stunning this evening."

I slightly smile and nod my head.

"Felipe," Eric says still holding my hand. Since they are now equals he does not bow.

"This is Adam Kirshner, he will be the emcee for the ceremony. The tiger would have been the one doing the job, but I know of your past history with him," he says glancing at me. "He is part demon like this lovely young lady," he says acknowledging Katherine.

"Mr. Northman, it is a pleasure to meet you finally. I have been communicating extensively with Ms. Ravenscroft for the past few weeks. Since you have had a busy schedule, there was no time for a rehearsal but I am sure that you know the process," the emcee says.

Eric nods. "Excellent," Adam says with a smile, "Now the people that walk in front of you are all aware of their roles. Your wife will be the last one to walk into the hall before you come in..." he says.

I interrupt him before he continues to speak. "Umm excuse me, but I wasn't told by anyone yet about the whole process of this ceremony. If I'm going to be walking before Eric then maybe I should know a little bit more about where I stand afterwards, how fast I should walk..." I stop when I notice the confused expression on his face.

"You are Mr. Northman's wife? I had spoken earlier with another woman..." he says but is interrupted by Felipe.

"You were speaking with Northman's fiancé who will be walking before him. Since he is technically unattached at the moment, Ms. Lefevre will fill that role seeing as she is soon shortly to be his wife in the coming days," he says.

This time it is me with the confused expression. _Did I hear him right? _I ask myself. I look at Eric who is staring at Felipe with rage in his eyes. It is rolling through our bond.

"Sookie will be walking before me," he says defiantly and glaring at Felipe.

"She cannot. As you are aware humans cannot partake in our ceremonies even if you are bonded to them. Since she is not your wife, she will have to stand amongst the crowd," Felipe says almost egging him.

I look back and forth between the two vampires feeling emotionally jumbled. "What is he talking about Eric?" I ask quietly.

The emcee can sense the palpable tension in the room. "Alright, well I will see you all downstairs," he says wisely leaving the room.

Felipe looks at me with a smirk on his face, "I can see that you have not told everything to your bonded Northman, we shall leave you to it." He snaps his finger and he and Victor leave the room.

I continue to stare at Eric who is still refusing to look at me.

"Pamela, leave the room," Eric says slowly.

She glances at me with a hint of sadness in her eyes and quickly leaves the room and closes the door behind her.

"What's going on Eric?" I say as calmly as I could. "He said we weren't married but you told me and had been telling me all these years that we were married in the vamp way."

He still doesn't look at me as he walks towards the fireplace in the room. I can't sense his emotions as he is blocking his end of the bond.

It seems like an eternity before he finally speaks. "I meant to tell you. I was going to tell you. The council declared our marriage invalid in Vancouver."

For a moment I cannot speak. Dozens of questions are forming in my mind. "Why?" I simply say.

He finally turns around and looks at me. "The council didn't approve the method in which I tied myself in matrimony with you. They didn't approve that I had taken the ceremonial dagger without their consent and thus punished me, us, by declaring our marriage invalid."

He sounds so calm, like this is acceptable to him, when all I want to do is scream my head off and cry. "Really Eric," I scoff, "Were you really going to tell me this important piece of information?" I look down at my engagement ring. "Is this why you asked me to marry you? To make up for this new mess in our lives?"

He starts to move towards and put his hands on my arms. "No I asked you to marry me because I love you and I don't care what they say, you are my wife, forever."

I try hard not to cry but my eyes still shed silent tears. I remove myself from his hands by moving back. I realise that this new development changes everything. I wipe some tears from my cheeks. "We aren't seen as married in your world anymore." I meant to say that more as a question but it comes out as a statement. This time I turn away from him and look towards the window.

"No, but I honestly did not think that this would not be a huge dilemma for you, seeing as you have never fully accepted our marriage in the past," he says in a neutral tone.

I can feel the anger rising in me. The anger and resentment that I had been repressing from the past few weeks was finally coming out. I turn around to look him in the eye. "So what, you thought that when you would tell me, I would be happy and say, 'Oh that's okay Eric, I don't mind that we aren't married. You can marry your vamp wench now without any additional problems with me'," I am seething now, "Of course this fucking matters to me!" I yell at him.

"Keep your voice down," Eric says in a low dangerous tone. His facial expression told me that he was getting angry.

I bite my lower lip in an effort to stop myself from crying. "So what happens now? Since apparently I am no longer your wife. _She_ will be your only wife."

"We are still bonded and that holds significant meaning, for us, and in the eyes of other vampires. There is also our human wedding ceremony to look forward to," he tells me in an effort to reassure me but it's not working.

"But obviously the bond is not important enough that I cannot be a part of your coronation ceremony," I lament.

Suddenly there is a knock on the door.

"Master, we are awaiting your presence downstairs. The AP has arrived and is waiting to go into the main hall," Pam tells Eric through the door.

"We will discuss this more after the ceremony and reception, come," he says holding out his hand for me.

I wipe away another escaped tear. "I'm not going down there Eric. Not after this."

He looks at me with a hurt expression. "I cannot do anything about you not being a part of the ceremony this late, but I assure you my thoughts will be focused on you."

"You think the sole reason I don't want to watch is because I can't be a part of it? You obviously don't know me very well Eric," I say lividly.

"Sookie please..." he says trying to grab my hand.

"Just go Eric, you heard Pam. They're all waiting for you, your future wife is waiting for you," I say pulling my hand away from his grasp.

He ignores my request and takes both my hand in his and puts his forehead against mine. "I cannot do this without you. All this, everything that I have done means nothing to me without you there. You are the only person that matters to me and I need you there. _Please_ Sookie."

The desperation in his voice and the feelings that I am receiving from the now open bond is telling me that he is being truthful. I close my eyes for a few seconds as I feel his lips against mine.

"Please Sookie," he whispers softly.

I breathe in deeply. "Okay, I will go downstairs with you and watch you become king," I say in a whisper.

"Thank you," he tells me tenderly.

We go to the door and find Pam standing there waiting for us. "Wait Sookie, let me fix your face up, it's all blotchy from crying," she says rather bluntly. I close my eyes and in her vampire speed, she fixes my makeup in seconds.

We make our way downstairs where Felipe, the emcee and Rosamund are waiting.

"Don't you two look lovely," she says smiling at Eric.

He just stares at her and summons Clint to us.

"I trust my bonded already has a seat reserved," Eric says to the emcee.

"Of course, your majesty, a few seats have been blocked for your special guests," he says.

"Sookie, Clint will accompany you to your seat," Eric tells me while rubbing my shoulders.

I give him a small smile. Knowing that Rosamund is watching us, I lean upwards to kiss him and he kisses me back passionately.

"Ahem," is what I hear as we continue to kiss.

"Sir, we're already running behind schedule," the emcee states.

Eric glares at him and gives me one last kiss. "I will see you soon afterwards and remember, my thoughts are only with you," he tells me softly.

I leave his embrace and Clint quickly ushers me into the main hall. There are already hundreds of vampires and a few humans who are all seated waiting for the ceremony to begin. We walk to our seats as dozens of eyes stare at us. I walk while staring at the dark hardwood floor but sometimes I glance up to see people staring. I hear faint whispering amongst the crowd. I'm not too sure if they are talking about me or Eric or Rosamund, perhaps all three of us.

We finally reach our seats which are in the front row nearest to the main stage. Suddenly I feel too uncomfortable to sit so close to the stage. I look around the area and I find an empty chair that is near the wall.

I turn to Clint, "I can't sit here. I'm going to sit at that empty chair." I turn around quickly before Clint can do anything. The music begins, an indication that the Ancient Pythoness was coming out. I look at Clint who looks like he is debating whether or not to join me but he does not as the ceremony is already starting.

The doors open as six beautiful female vampires dressed elegantly with long black hair come out of those doors located on the main stage. One of them is holding a red velvet cloak. They are followed by the Ancient Pythoness. Immediately, everyone in the room stands and become quiet. She walks slowly to the chair in the middle of the stage. She sits down as the female vampires stand behind her. Five other male vampires come through those same doors and take the seats on her right. They are all dressed in expensive looking tuxedos and I assume them to be Council members.

"Please remain standing for the king of Nevada!" the emcee calls out in an authoritarian voice.

We all continue to stand as the doors from the foyer open. Felipe walks through the doors looking so smug, staring down at the guests as though we all should feel lucky to be in his presence. I immediately notice he is wearing his ridiculous cape. I clamp down the urge to gag as I see Victor across the room staring at him as though Felipe was his idol. He reaches the stage and takes an empty seat on the AP's left.

"Pamela Ravenscroft, Northman's child and second in command!" he calls out.

Pam walks down next. She is smiling, not looking at the audience but only looking towards the main stage. As she gets closer I see her look at the seat at where I was supposed to sit and her smile leaves her face. She stops and stands in front of the AP's left side.

"Rosamund Lefevre, queen of France and future queen of Louisiana and wife of Northman!" the emcee says loudly.

She comes out and I feel an emotional hurt at the pit of my stomach but I refuse to cry. I watch her walk towards the stage smiling and glancing at people in the audience. She walks with confidence; she reminded me of a bride walking down the aisle. The only thing she was missing was a veil and flowers. Her gown was ivory with stunning gleaming crystals. She takes her place at the opposite of Pam on the AP's right side.

Everyone turns their attention towards the main door again in anticipation of Eric.

"Eric Northman, the proclaimed king of Louisiana!" the emcee yells.

I watch Eric as he walks down the centre of the room with finesse in his steps and posture. He looks so regal. It is as though this was what he was meant for; to command the centre of attention in a room, to have people look up to him. Even though he had told me earlier that all this meant nothing to him and that he needed me here, I knew that really wasn't the case. Watching him walk down, I came to the realization that he would be fine even if I wasn't here. I immediately shut down my end of the bond and I see him look towards my empty seat in the front row.

A hint of worry shows in his facial features as he looks for me in the crowd. I see him looking at Clint who hints to him of my whereabouts. Eric finally sees me and I give him a reassuring smile. However I can tell that he doesn't feel reassured but he continues on towards the stage nonetheless.

He takes the spot in front of the AP and bows.

The AP stands and speaks, "Eric Northman, I have known you for over nine hundred years. I have heard stories about you and have long wondered when you would become king of a territory. Now you stand before me waiting for me to coronate you as one. Does the council accept his position as the new king of Louisiana?" She turns towards the five male vampires and one of them takes one step forward.

"We accept him as king of Louisiana," the vampire says.

She turns towards Eric. "Eric Northman, do you accept the position as king of Louisiana? Do you accept the responsibilities and burdens that come with that position? Will you live by our laws and fulfill the obligations that are expected of you? Take a moment to consider what you are about to do," she says sternly.

I can't tell where he is looking at from my position or what his facial expressions are, but a moment later he speaks, "Yes your eminence, I accept." He then goes down on one knee.

The AP nods and the one of the female vampires holding the red velvet cloak comes forward to Rosamund. She hands the cloak to her.

"This cloak represents everything that you have accepted. It is the symbol of your ascension in our world, your ascension into royalty. You wife, your queen, will put this on you," the AP states.

I clench my fist against my stomach as the emotional pain grows stronger. Rosamund smugly goes behind Eric and places the cloak on his shoulders. She briefly looks at me with a smirk on her face as she takes her previous position. My lips quiver and I bite my lower lip in an effort to keep myself from crying.

"Please rise, Eric Northman," the AP says. "I pronounce Eric Northman, king of the Louisiana territory!" she yells as loudly as she could.

"Hail King Northman!" the emcee shouts as he slams his rod against the floor a few times. Eric turns around to face the crowd.

"Hail King Northman!" the crowd shouts. There are a few loud cheers and whistles from the humans in the crowd as the vampires continue to shout Eric's name.

"Hail King Northman and his future queen!" the emcee shouts this time. Everyone begins yelling Eric and Rosamund's names. She looks like a beaming bride as she stands beside Eric. She takes a hold of his hand and raises it to show unity.

A small cry of anguish leaves my lips as I cannot bear to watch anymore. I look around to find a way out and see an exit about eight feet behind me. I back away and turn around to leave through the exit. Luckily I don't see anyone noticing me as I leave, as everyone's attention was still towards Eric and Rosamund.

Once out of the main hall, I run with tears blurring my eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Eric's POV: **

All eyes were on Rosamund and me as the crowd continued to cheer. But the only eyes that I wanted to look upon me were Sookie's, but they were nowhere to be found. She was not standing in the same area where I had spotted her earlier. She had closed her end of the bond, cutting our connection. I looked towards Clint who was watching us and silently ordered him to locate Sookie. He nodded his head and slowly moved backwards to where she was last seen. On the outside I had the appearance of a calm and composed vampire but on the inside I was holding in my rage as Rosamund continued to hold my hand in front of the audience. I wanted to grab her and toss her into the crowd preferably with her landing on a sharp stake.

She looks at me sensing my inner rage and leans up to whisper something in my ear, "Cheer up Eric, they all love us. Together we will be the most powerful couple on the planet." She places a small kiss near my ear and afterwards the crowd gets louder.

I keep my eyes on Clint who is roaming near the walls looking for her. He finally gives up and looks towards me. He shakes his head. A small growl escapes my throat. I slightly jerk my chin forward to indicate to him to look for Sookie outside of this large ballroom. He nods his head and leaves through an exit nearest to him.

Although I would like nothing better to look for Sookie myself, I cannot go until the Ancient Phythoness takes her leave.

She finally rises from her chair and we move over to her right side. The audience quiets down as she walks up to me and takes a hold of my free hand. "I wish nothing but the best for you Northman, you have always been destined to do great things and lead our kind towards prosperity. Take good care of your telepathic woman." She holds my hand for a few seconds longer before finally releasing it. The doors on the stage open for her. She walks towards the doors closely followed by her six attendants.

After she leaves, the five Council members come up to congratulate me. They also congratulate me on my forthcoming marriage made in hell also as Rosamund remains glued to my side, still holding my hand. By the time I have spoken to the last Council member, I have just used up the last ounce of my patience. They finally take their leave as well.

I am finally able to seek out Sookie, but Rosamund still has not let go of my hand. I cannot simply rip my hand from hers and make a scene, especially in front of this group of vampires, some of whom were distinguished. I decide to keep up the charade until we are out of the view of the mob.

I lead her towards the doors that connect to the main entrance with Pam following us. As soon as we are in the foyer and away from the sight of others, I tear my hand away from hers.

"Don't you ever pull a stunt like that again," I growl at her. "I told you in the beginning; do not touch me without my consent."

She just smirks at me. "I did what was best for both our interests. We have to appear as though we have a close tie Eric, that we have a united front. If we don't, they will perceive us as weak. This is a dangerous time for us, especially you Eric. You are a new monarch and you will be tested."

I know that she is correct but I refuse to admit it. "I will ignore this incident but only this one time. From now on it would be in _your_ best interest to obey the terms of our arrangement."

Just then Clint comes down the stairs. I look towards him as he approaches us, "She is upstairs," he says.

"I suppose your little bonded wasn't feeling too well? I saw her leave _during_ the ceremony. Perhaps you should keep a better check on her," Rosamund says behind me.

I turn around to face her, "Get out of my sight," I say angrily.

She smirks at me again, "Fine I'll go. But hurry back Eric, we still have the post ceremony reception to attend." She scurries off to another room before I could say anything more.

I turn to Pam, "Go back to the ballroom. I'm going upstairs to Sookie."

"Yes master," she says.

I hurry up the rounded staircase and go to the same room that we were in before the ceremony. When I open the door I see Sookie sitting on one of the chairs weeping while Savannah is standing by the fire.

"Leave," I simply say. Savannah quickly leaves the room.

I go to Sookie who is still crying with her hands hiding her face. I kneel down before her and place my hands on her knees.

"Sookie, look at me," I say softly.

She refuses to budge, so I hold onto her wrists gently. Finally she drops her hands from her face. Fresh tears are falling down her cheeks and her eyes are red.

"I want to go home Eric," she says between sobs.

"We can't. We have to make an appearance once more downstairs," I tell her as I rub her hands.

"_You _have to make an appearance downstairs, not me," she scoffs. "I tried to leave but Savannah stopped me and basically forced me to come up here."

She abruptly gets up and walks away from me. "Are they really my bodyguards or are they your hired hands whose main job is to make sure I don't stray too far from you," she says angrily.

"Their main priority is to keep you safe which was why they stopped you from leaving on your own," I tell her.

"Whatever Eric. Since you have just told me that I can't go anywhere without them, then I shall let them take me home," she says as she walks towards the door.

I stop her by grabbing her by the waist. "Sookie please, just come with me downstairs," I plead.

She backs away from me, "Are you even listening to me Eric? I am not going anywhere with you tonight!" she says rather loudly.

"I know that you are upset about what happened, I am as well, but I need you...," I say but she cuts me off.

"I don't care Eric! You say that you need me but you really don't! What happened downstairs is something that will occur again. She is going to be your wife!" she cries out. Her tears start to fall again.

I go to hold her and she clings to me. I kiss her forehead, "I love you Sookie, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. I will not lose you."

"I know you love me Eric," she says against my chest. "I love you as much, which is the reason why I am still here. I don't want to lose you too. I know I need to find some way to get past this god-awful mess we are in and I will, but I can't do it tonight. Please Eric just let me go home."

She opens the bond and I can feel how deeply hurt she is. The pain that she was feeling was enormous. While all I want to do is take her into my arms and make her pain go away, I have to attend the reception.

"I have to go downstairs. Please stay up here, I shall try and come back as quickly as possible then we will go home," I say to her.

She shakes her head and leaves my arms, "I want to go home Eric. I can't stand to be here for another minute!"

I check the bond and can sense that she is nearing a breaking point. Her emotions were strong about this matter so I thought about her request for a moment, "Very well, your guards will take you back. I will come home as soon as I can." I try to kiss her on the lips but she moves her head to the side. Because I don't want to push her anymore, I decide to let it go, so I kiss her cheek instead.

We walk downstairs to the main foyer where her guards are waiting for her and she leaves with them without saying a word to me. I go outside and watch them get into the limo and drive off.

I close my eyes and let out an unnecessary sigh. _I'll stay at this party for a half hour. Then I'll go home and make things right with her. She may feel distressed now but I will make her happy and smile once again. _I go back inside to attend my reception.

**Sookie:**

The heartache and devastation that I have been feeling since the coronation ceremony has been overwhelming. Eric continues to constantly pour his love and devotion through our bond whenever I open it to him. Lately I have been closing our bond a lot and I can see the frustration that it is causing him in his eyes. I don't close it to shield him from my sad emotions; I close it to hide from him my uncertainty about our future together. Would leaving him make things easier for me? I continue to ask myself that same question but I always end up with the same response. Leaving him would be much worse. I couldn't imagine a future without him, even if I had to share him with someone else for a few weeks of the year. I could probably deal with that, but it was the physical aspect that I was having a hard time with. He would have sex with her at least once a year, starting tomorrow evening, their wedding night. Every time I think about it, I start to cry and right now it's no different.

I look in the mirror and see a few tears shedding from my eyes. I turn on the faucet, run the water, and splash some on my face. I take a paper towel and pat my face as I look into the mirror. The last few days not only has taken a toll on me emotionally, but physically as well. My skin is paler, I have dark circles under my eyes due to lack of sleep. My hair is unkempt. Whereas before when I used to force myself to eat, these past few days I have been eating very little. I breathe in one last time before I exit the bathroom to take my seat in Eric's new private jet.

We are heading to France for Eric's wedding. I had initially refused to go. I wanted to stay home, maybe go back to Bon Temps to try and forget about this ordeal for just a few days. But he begged me to come with him. He told me that it was still too dangerous to be away from each other, especially since he was a new king. He also told me that the other reason was because he no longer wanted to apart from me, that he wanted me to come with him on all his excursions, but I think he is more worried that I would try and run away from him. So I agreed to accompany him, but drew the line at attending his wedding. There was no way in hell I was strong enough to witness that.

I leave the bathroom and sit down beside Alcide. He and five other members of his pack have joined us on this trip. They will be my daytime bodyguards. It is also an audition for the five weres. If they perform their duties well, Eric will hire them permanently to act as my daytime guards. Taylor, one of the weres that watched over me in Las Vegas is one of them. There is still a bit of sunshine left so Eric, Pam, and my vamp bodyguards are still resting in their coffins but should be rising any moment.

"So Sookie, do you have any tourist spots in mind that you would like to see?" Alcide asks smiling, obviously trying to take my mind off our situation.

"I don't know Alcide, I didn't really do any research on this city that we will be in," I say with a forced smile and cheer.

"Well I've been in Bordeaux once before, so I'll take you to some nice buildings and castles. How does that sound?" he says.

"That sounds great," I say with false enthusiasm. More than likely I'll be spending the majority of my time during this trip lying in bed by myself crying.

Alcide checks his watch and gets up, "We should lower the blinds on all the windows, the vampires will be walking up," he tells the other weres. They all move to lower the blinds. When there is only artificial light remaining in the cabin, he picks up the airplane phone. "It's safe now," is all he says and hangs up.

Right away Eric emerges from the room in the rear of the plane followed by the other vampires. Alcide goes to sit with the other weres while Eric takes his seat beside me.

He kisses my cheek, "Has the airplane ride been tolerable so far?" he asks.

Rather than looking at him, I look at the large screen that is playing an old western movie. "It is ok. I slept a little bit," I tell him sounding despondent.

He holds my hand and continues to look at me, but I still refuse to look at him.

"Sookie, you look horrid, why don't you come with me to the back room and I'll fix you up?" Pam says. She is standing beside Eric in the aisle.

I look up at her, "Alright." I unbuckle my seatbelt and follow her to the back room.

"Come sit," she says patting the spot next to her on the small bed. I close the door and sit beside her. She pulls out her makeup from her large bag on the bed.

She starts by applying some eye concealer to cover up my dark circles.

"I am truly sorry Sookie," she says as she applies the makeup.

"What for?" I say in a small voice.

"For everything that is going on. I really enjoy having you as my friend. In fact, you are my only friend," she says somewhat sad. "I do not enjoy knowing that you are feeling emotional pain."

She puts away the concealer and takes out some powder. "I knew that you and Eric were no longer married before you found out." I freeze and stare at her.

"Eric had called me the night of his meeting with the Council in Vancouver," she says. She starts applying the powder. "I could not say anything to you because Eric ordered me not to, but also because that was something that he needed to tell you himself."

I take a small gulp. She puts away the powder and pulls out some blush. "It's ok Pam. Eric should have told me right away but he didn't. I don't blame you for anything," I tell her. "Is there anything else that you are keeping from me?" I ask her feeling a little bit afraid.

"Yes," she says stopping with the blush. "He needs you Sookie. You cannot imagine how much he needs you in his undead life. He loves and cares about you deeply, even more than he has ever cared for me. If he loses you then I do not know what he would do. Please give him a chance Sookie. Give him a chance to make things right. I have known my master for many years and I know that he would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Right now what he wants more than anything is to make you happy again."

I look down as I rub my hands together. I know what she has said is the truth, but I still feel doubtful. "I'll try Pam. Because I love you both, I will try."

She smiles at me, "That is good enough for now. I say this also because I miss the old Sookie."

I give her a genuine smile. "Me too."

She finishes with my makeup application and afterwards we head back to our seats. The plane lands at the airport in Bordeaux and afterwards our group jumps into a couple of limousines heading towards our destination, Rosamund's home.

The ride to her home takes us about an hour. When we arrive we pull up to the front entrance of her house and as I step out of the vehicle I am awed to learn that her home is an actual castle that is being illuminated with outdoor lights.

I look past the limo and see a beautiful large round fountain complete with a statue of a horse in the center in her front courtyard. Just past that there are a series of fountains spurting from the ground like the ones at the Bellagio, though not as magnificent.

I continue to gaze at the courtyard until I hear someone's voice.

"Your majesty, I am glad to see that you have arrived safely," a human man with a British accent tells Eric as he approaches us.

"Ari," Eric says acknowledging him.

He looks at me, then back to Eric. "I see that you have arrived with your bonded. May I introduce myself to her?" he asks Eric. Eric nods.

He smiles at me, "I am pleased to meet you Miss Stackhouse. My name is Ari Durant, I am Ms. Lefevre's daytime manager."

He doesn't try to shake my hand so I assume he's accustomed to vampire etiquette. "It's nice to meet you," I tell him politely.

"Well please follow me, Ms. Lefevre is waiting for you all in the drawing room," he says.

We all begin to walk but suddenly he turns around. "I'm afraid the weres will have to wait out here. Ms. Lefevre does not like to have unfamiliar beasts in her home."

This earns a growl from Eric. I look at Alcide who seems just as angry at that insult. "You can tell your mistress that _these _weres go everywhere we do. If she has a problem with that, then _we _have no problem leaving," Eric says angrily.

We turn around to get back into the limos but we hear another voice.

"Your majesty, I hope that you will not leave due to my associate's ignorance," another man says, this time with a French accent. We turn around to see a gorgeous man with light brown wavy hair, full pouty lips and hazel eyes. He is wearing a black suit with a white shirt and no tie. His skin is pale and I cannot read his mind, he is a vampire.

He smiles at me, then at Eric. "There has been a misunderstanding. Ari here hasn't been completely informed about certain protocols pertaining to you. Your bodyguards are welcome in my mistress' castle," he says to Eric. Ari hangs his head and goes back into the castle.

Eric still looks severe, "Lead the way," he tells the vampire.

"Wait here," Eric tells Alcide as we reach the entrance of a room.

We follow the vamp inside to the drawing room. In the drawing room we see Rosamund lying on a chaise lounge chair looking at a black book. She is wearing a blue metallic fitted dress that accentuates her slender frame. Her strawberry blonde hair is hanging loose over her shoulder. She looks both sexy and stunning. I start to feel insecure in my own attire as I look down at my dress which is a simple light blue floral print.

She looks up from her book and smiles at us, "Eric, I am so glad that you and your acquaintances have arrived safely. I trust that the journey was comfortable for you all?"

Eric's severe facial expression hasn't changed and settles his hand on my waist. He ignores her question, "You said that we had some things to discuss before the ceremony tomorrow. Tell me what you need to say right now. My bonded is quite exhausted this evening."

She rises from her chair and walks forward to us. "Perhaps we should discuss this in private. I have some business matters to share with you," she says as she takes a quick glance at me. "I also need to tell you a few things about our wedding tomorrow evening."

I can feel Eric's body stiffen. "Very well, we shall talk in private. Pam you will come with me." He lets go of my waist.

"I suppose Eric that you haven't introduced my child to your bonded," she says. He still looks stone-faced.

She turns towards the handsome vampire, "Etienne, why don't you show Miss Stackhouse the rear courtyard while I take the king to my private office."

Eric puts his hand around my waist again. "You need not worry about her safety Eric," she says still smiling and eyeing Eric's hand, "My Etienne doesn't bite, unless you ask him to."

He slides his hand to my back and gives me a kiss on my forehead. "I will be right back," he says in a gentle tone. He and Pam leave with Rosamund.

In the room remain me, my two vamp guards, and Rosamund's child. He walks up to me after the others leave.

"I am Etienne Behar," he tells him with a dazzling smile. "Of course I have heard nothing but great things about you Miss Stackhouse. I have seen beautiful photographs of you, but you are much lovelier in person."

"Thank you, you can call me Sookie," I tell him smiling back and feeling flattered. I can't help but let his words effect me as my self-esteem has been taking a beating these past several weeks.

"Shall we walk outside? My mistress' castle is most beautiful to gaze at during the night," he asks.

"Alright," I respond.

He leads me to a set of double doors. We step out and feel the cool night air. The back courtyard is more stunning than the front. There is another fountain, this one is much larger and is long, rectangular shaped. There are tall hedges of various shapes and sizes. Past the fountain I see a large white tent and gold chairs. I look at it for a few moments until it dawns on me that that was where the wedding ceremony was going to take place. I quickly turn away in anguish. I close my eyes willing myself to not cry again. I was so tired of crying.

"Sookie are you alright?" he says with a look of concern.

I open my eyes and look at him, "I am fine."

He looks out into the courtyard and lingers for a moment, "Oh I see what is troubling you."

"Believe it or not Sookie, I feel the same pain as you," he tells me with a tender voice. "I love my mistress deeply. She is my maker and my lover. She is everything to me and it hurts me greatly to see her wed another."

I breathe in, "But wasn't she married to another king recently?"

He nods his head. "With king Ulric, it was just a business arrangement. With your Viking, I think it is something much more," he says in a sad quiet tone. I can see his red bloody tears brimming from his eyes and I can't help but feel sorrow for him and myself.

I shiver feeling the cool wind on my back and he notices. "Forgive me," he says smiling again, "I have neglected your needs. Please excuse me for a few seconds."

He goes inside in his vampire speed and is back in front of me within seconds. He is holding a black shawl. He moves to wrap it around me but I back away.

He senses why. "Sookie, this isn't my mistress' shawl. This is for guests. We have various items available to tend to the needs of the visitors in her home."

I look at it feeling hesitant but decide to take it, "Thank you."

I try to take it from him but he says, "Please allow me."

I nod and turn around as he places it around my shoulders. He lifts my hair up over it as well.

We talk for awhile. He tells me about his past and his family. His father was Algerian and his mother was French. I asked him when he was turned and he told me that he was turned when he was a soldier during World War II. He told me that he was fatally injured and his comrades had to leave him. That was when Rosamund found him.

Several minutes later we head back inside and almost at the same instant Rosamund, Pam and Eric return.

Right away Eric comes up to me and places his hands on my arms. He studies the shawl and I can see the questions forming in his eyes.

"I will have Ari show you and your people to your rooms Eric. I just had them remodelled and they are quite lovely," she says in a cheerful voice.

Eric turns around to face her, "We are not staying here. I have made other arrangements for our accommodations."

For a few brief second she looks flustered, but she goes back to that jovial mood, "I see. Well perhaps you all will stay here another time, some will stay here more sooner than others," she says looking over Eric's body. I start to feel sick.

He sneers at her, guides me out of the castle and into the limo. Soon we are travelling again.

"Where are we going?" I ask jadedly.

"To another castle. This one is owned by a friend." he responds.

"Which friend?" I ask.

"Marten. He offered it to us to use."

I close my eyes feeling my utter exhaustion claiming me.

The next night:

I stand in one of the guestrooms going through my luggage. When we arrived last night I was still asleep, so I suppose Eric must have carried me up here. When I woke up this morning he was not beside me so I also assumed that he must have been sleeping in a hidden part of the castle with the other vamps. I look at the clock and see that it is only a couple more hours till Eric is married to another woman. _I will not cry, _I tell myself.

I pick up my borrowed black shawl and start to fold it until I spot something rather tiny attached to it. I look closely and see that it is a small black pin with a small piece of black rolled paper attached to it. I detach the pin and paper. When I unfold it, I find a little note in gold ink. _If you wish to talk, _it simply says with an email address at the end. _It must be Etienne's_, I think to myself. I put the tiny piece of paper in my purse.

I continue rummaging through my belongings until Eric speaks, "Did you have a good day? "

I freeze for a second and huff, "Do you really have to ask that question Eric?" I say without looking at him. I continue to scamper around the room.

"Please stop for a moment," he says in a whisper as he holds me from behind.

There was a time when I could never get enough of his body against mine, but tonight I couldn't stand to be in the same room as him. He lets me break free from his embrace and I turn to face him.

"What do you have to say?" I ask.

"I love you," he says. "And I promise to begin to make things right again starting tomorrow."

I chuckle in disdain. "Nothing is going to be right again between us Eric. I am trying to accept that, now you have to accept that as well. Because if you don't, you will keep driving us further apart."

I can tell by the look on his face that he wants to argue the point, but he doesn't. "I will be downstairs," he says and then walks away.

An hour later I head downstairs to look for the vampires and I find them in one of the large living rooms. Pam is wearing one of her expensive designer gowns, and Eric is wearing a black suit with a silk maroon coloured tie.

"You guys look great," I say blandly.

"Wait for me outside in the limo," he orders Pam.

She walks up to me and gives me a hug. "I will see you later on this evening," she says. She lets go of me and walks out of the room.

We just stare at each other. It was one of those moments where we both had a lot to say but nothing could come out of our mouths.

"So what time are you coming back tonight?" I ask him weakly.

He stares away from me and is silent for a few seconds. "I am not coming back until tomorrow evening."

I gasp and let out a sob. All my despair hits me like a freight train as I feel my knees go weak. Eric moves rapidly to hold me against him.

He holds me as I continue to cry. I finally look up at him and see a couple of red tears streaming down his face.

I trace my thumb along one of his tears and pop it in my mouth. "I love you," I whisper to him.

"I love you as well." He says in a hoarse voice. "I hope you will always remember that."

"You should go now."

I try to move away from him but he keeps me locked in his arms. He bends down to kiss me. We kiss for a few minutes putting every ounce of our passion into it, as though this will be the last time.

"I will see you tomorrow," he says as I nod to him. He walks out of the room quickly and for what seems like an eternity I stand there blankly staring at the door, almost hoping that he would come back. I finally give up and head back upstairs to my room.

_I will not cry, I will not cry, _I keep telling myself as I walk slowly up the stairs, but my silent self-command doesn't work. As soon as I reach my room, my tears spring out in full force. I drag myself to my bed and curl up into a ball weeping.

**Eric's POV:**

Leaving Sookie and coming here to Rosamund's castle was the most hardest thing I have ever had to do in my long existence. I can still feel her heartache. I stare angrily out the window as I silently curse Rosamund and De Castro for putting me in this position and for the hurt that this has caused Sookie.

I hear a knock as the doors opens, "Your majesty," Etienne calls out to me but I don't look at him.

"What do you want?"

"I brought you your wedding attire," he answers. He lays it out on the bed. I walk up to the bed, pick it up, and throw it back into his arms.

"I don't want it. This is what I am wearing," I say angrily.

"As you wish, I shall tell the queen," he takes the garments and goes out of the room.

A half hour later I hear another knock and this time it's Pam.

"Master, it's time," she says sombrely.

I take a few more seconds to mentally prepare myself before I head out the door.

"It's not too late. You still have a choice," she says just as I open the door. "There has to be another way."

"There are other options," I tell her, "But those will lead to me losing Sookie."

She hangs her head solemnly. "Do not worry my child," I tell her as I lift her chin. "You know that I cannot be easily defeated." We head outside to where the wedding was to take place.

I see De Castro leering at me as I make my approach to the altar. Rosamund had told me yesterday evening that he was going to officiate our ceremony much to my dismay.

I stand there looking at the ground waiting for my future wife and the orchestra begins to play. I look up and see her walking down the aisle with Etienne. She smiles at the crowd as she passes them by, obviously enjoying the attention that she is receiving. When she finally reaches me, I take her hand and begin to listen to De Castro.

In a loud voice he begins, "Ladies and Gentlemen we are gathered here to witness the pledging and union of Rosamund Lefevre, queen of France, and Eric Northman, king of the Louisiana territory in America."

"Eric Northman, do you accept Rosamund Lefevre as your wife and queen for the next hundred years?"

"Yes," I grudgingly say.

"Rosamund Lefevre, do you accept Eric Northman as your husband and king for the next hundred years?"

"Yes, I do," she says seductively looking at me.

De Castro continues on, "Are there any persons here that object to this union? If so, speak now!"

I hear silent murmurs in the crowd and I can also hear Pam gritting her teeth behind me.

Another vampire hands him the wedding chalice and ceremonial dagger, the same one that I had used to bind myself to Sookie. He holds out the chalice in front of us.

"Raise your hands to me," he instructs to us.

We give him our hands. He first makes a cut on Rosamund's hand and her blood pours into the cup. He takes the dagger and makes a cut on my hand. I watch as my blood slowly drips into the cup, feeling a part of me leaving my body.

After our wounds close, he takes the cup and offers it to Rosamund. I flinch as she takes a few gulps of our mixed blood. She licks her lips as she hands the cup to me. I take one gulp and hand it back to De Castro.

He hands back the chalice and dagger to the vampire and says, "Ladies and Gentlemen you have just witnessed the pledging and union of king Eric Northman and queen Rosamund Lefevre! May no one dare try to break this union for one hundred years! You may kiss your bride Northman."

I lean to kiss her. It is a quick kiss that lasts for only a few seconds. The crowd erupts in applause as we turn around to face them.

The rest of the event goes by like a blur. I see dozens of faces of various kings and queens from European nations as I wander through the wedding reception receiving unwanted blessings. I also reluctantly dance with Rosamund, as it is one of the traditions.

As much as I hate being here, I try to prolong our presence because the next step is the consummation of our marriage.

I feel a hand on my arm as I converse with the king of Ireland. "Husband, I believe it is time for us to leave our party and get intimate," Rosamund whispers into my ear.

I shudder and look down at the woman that I thoroughly detest.

"Yes Northman, I think it is time for you and your new wife to take your leave," De Castro says suddenly standing behind Rosamund.

I scowl at him and force myself to take her hand. We leave the reception and go back into the castle.

"Husband, follow me," she says smiling as she leads me downstairs through a secret entrance. She punches in a code to a door and it opens.

"These are my private chambers," she says. "Wait here, I have been looking forward to this night for so long and I have just the perfect little outfit." She prances into the bathroom.

I scan the room and look at the large round bed. Rose petals are scattered all over the white duvet and there are white candles everywhere.

A minute later she comes out of the bathroom wearing a red laced cut-out teddy. She smiles demurely and licks her finger in an attempt to seduce me. "I had hoped that you would be naked by the time I came out," she says in a seductive tone.

I remove my jacket and undo my tie. "Let's get this over with," I say in a clipped tone.

She laughs. "So eager Eric. Take it easy, we have all night." She tries to put her hands on my chest, but I grab her wrists.

"I warned you, do not touch me unless I say so," I growl and push her away.

She laughs again. "Okay Eric, we will play this your way. What would you like me to do?" she says cupping her private area.

"Lie on the bed," I say.

She crawls up the bed, wiggling her bottom all the way up to a pillow. She places her feet on the bed and spreads her legs.

I undo my pants and pull out the condom from my pocket.

"What's that for?" she says, her smile gone.

I laugh and smirk, "Did you really think I would have intercourse with you without some kind of protection? I know that we cannot get sexual diseases, but who knows who you have last been with," I tell her harshly.

She looks at me angry. "You can't use that Eric."

I smirk at her again, "Who says I can't? It's not in our marriage contract or written in our laws." I pull my semi-hard penis out from my boxers and roll on the condom. I join her on the bed and position myself on top of her. I push aside her panties and shove myself in. She grunts as I thrust into her for about a minute and quickly pull out. Afterwards I remove the condom and put myself back into my pants.

"There, our marriage has been consummated," I state in a formal manner.

She looks up to me, fury burning in her eyes. "What the hell was that?" she yells. "That does not count!"

"Consummation requires penetration and I have penetrated you. I will rest for the day in your office and you will remain here."

"You won't get away with this humiliation Eric! I swear you won't!" she yells angrily at me as I walk into her private office and sitting room.

I slam the door shut and sit down on a chair. I place my elbows on my knees and my hands on my forehead as I think about today's events. My thoughts turn to Sookie. I had closed the bond just before the ceremony and long to open it again to feel her but I cannot.

I can smell Rosamund's perfume on me. I have the sudden urge to rip my clothes off, throw them into a fire, and take a long hot shower to purge me of her smell.

_I will find a way to get rid of her. I will not remain married to her for a hundred years, _I think to myself coldly. I stay with my hateful thoughts until I feel the pull of the sun.

One month later:

Since I became king over a month ago, the Louisiana territory has already begun to prosper. Better more adept Sheriffs that I had chosen have been running their areas smoothly. There has been very little conflicts as well. So far there have been no threats to undermine my authority as king. I have also been receiving requests from wealthy vampires who wish to relocate to my area. While Louisiana is flourishing under my control, my relationship with Sookie is not getting any better.

I had done various things in an attempt to remain close to her. Most of the time I work out of my home office to stay close by and for meetings I use my downtown headquarters. I have also tried using her brother and friends as a way to get through to her. I have gifted her brother and friend with expensive gifts. When her brother's wife gave birth to a son a few weeks ago, I had sent him a check of $100,000. I had thought that it would please Sookie, but she seemed more disappointed than happy. A week ago they came to my home for a visit and for the first time in weeks I saw her smile. She held her new nephew and sang him a lullaby as he slept in her arms. I have also attempted to show interest in the planning of our wedding, but so far she seems to have no interest to begin planning. I constantly ask her when she would like to get married, but she always says that she needs more time to think about it.

As for sex, she has been becoming increasingly reluctant to offer her body to me. Since Bordeaux we have only had sex a total of six times. She continues to let me feed from her but most of the time nothing sexual ever happens during or afterwards. She also still lets me hold and caress her, but her body feels rigid when I touch her. This has resulted in me becoming ever more sexually frustrated than I have ever been in my entire existence. I miss the warmth that she used to send me through our bond as we touched each other. The only time that she touches me is just before sunset when she thinks that I am still resting. She runs her hands over my body as I pretend to sleep.

I leave my office and go downstairs to find Sookie typing on her laptop in the dining room. She looks up and greets me, "Hi."

"Hello, my love," I tell her. I take the chair beside her and she closes her computer.

"What's up?" she asks.

I rub her hand. "Nothing, I just wanted to take a break from work and be with you."

"That's nice," she responds.

I caress her by running my hands through her golden hair and she closes her eyes. She sighs feeling content.

"Lover," I whisper, she turns her head towards me and I pull her into a passionate kiss. I run my hands down to her breasts as I smell her arousal and feel her lust growing. She puts her arms around my neck and I carry her down to our chamber.

I lay her down on our bed and she lets me pull off her clothing. I quickly take off my own clothes. I kiss my way down to her breasts and suckle them as she moans my name. I rub my thumb over her clit to get her wetter. After finishing my attentions with her breasts, I continue to kiss my way down and ultimately reach her core. I continuously run my tongue over her nub and pump my fingers into her vagina. Finally I can feel her muscles tightening around my fingers as she reaches her orgasm and screams out my name.

As she is coming down from her high, I position myself over her and kiss her sensually. Much to my delight, she reaches between us and strokes my cock.

"I need to feel you Eric," she pants, lining my cock up with her entrance. I push into her and begin by thrusting in and out slowly. As both of our needs begin to build, I quicken the pace. Not long after, I am pumping in and out of her vigorously. I massage her clit again to help bring her to another climax. A little while later I can feel her tightening around my cock as I bite into her neck and my own orgasm hits me. I collapse on top of her. As we are recovering, I remain within her, kissing her neck and jaw.

"I'm tired Eric," she says.

I half-heartedly pull out of her and she turns over to lie down on her side facing the wall. I pull the covers over us as she drifts off into sleep. After she is asleep I hold her from behind relishing in the feel of her warm body next to mine.

The next night:

I rise in our bed alone. Right away I seek her out through our bond and sense that she is nearby. I get up, pull on some jeans and walk to our study. I see her looking over a paper with a frown on her face.

"What is the matter, Lover?" I ask.

"Oh," she says, "It's nothing. I just got the marks for my latest class and this letter from the university."

I walk up to her, "Can I see?"

She looks hesitant, "Sure," she says as she hands me the paper.

It is a letter from her university saying that she has not been accepted to continue in her program as her marks have dropped substantially. I look at her with concern.

She inhales deeply, "Don't worry about it Eric. It's nothing. I'll take more classes to boost up my GPA and then next year I'll try again." She gets up from her seat and starts to walk towards the door but I stop her.

"It's not alright Sookie," I tell her.

"Please let me go Eric," she says sounding despaired. Last night she had opened herself up to me for a brief moment; now she was closing herself from me again. But I refuse to allow her.

"Please Sookie," I plead to her, "Let me help you. You can't keep on pushing me away."

"I told you in the beginning, Eric, I need time. I just need time to deal with everything. Can't you see? My life has changed so much in just a few short months and not in a good way! I need time to adjust, I need my space," she huffs.

"And with your need for space, that also includes pushing me away?" I ask.

She is silent for a minute as she deliberates her answer. "Yes Eric, at least for now."

My cell phone rings but I try to ignore it.

"You should answer that," she says. "It's probably important. I'll be upstairs."

I watch as she walks away from me. I look at the number and growl.

I hit the talk button, "This better be a matter of life and death."

"Oh Eric you are so dramatic. Is that any way to greet your wife?" Rosamund says.

"What do you want?" I growl.

"Well if you are going to act this way, then I'll just tell you right now. I need you to come here."

"No," I immediately answer.

"You haven't even heard my reason. I need you to help me deal with a bad situation."

Unfortunately aiding each other when situations arise in one another's territories was one of the terms in our marriage contract. "What is it that you need me to do?"

"I would prefer to tell you in person, not over the phone."

"Just tell me right now and I'll decide if my presence is required," I say seething.

"Fine. There are some V dealers in Paris that have been draining vampires like crazy. In the past month they have drained over twenty vampires. From what my sources have told me the head dealers are actually vampires themselves and they are trading with human dealers in Britain. I need you to help me track these dealers down and essentially end their lives. I also need you to talk to the king of England and persuade him to let me go into his territory and kill those dealers."

I think about what she has just told me. "I will send some reliable men to help your people to hunt them down and kill them. I will also talk to the king and see if he could send some of his own people to kill those dealers in his territory. He owes me a few favours."

"Not good enough Eric," she says. "I have already hired the best trackers in the world to find these vamps. The trackers say that they are trying very hard to find them but I don't believe them. I think that if I had my king here they could be persuaded by you to work harder. Besides you know Brandon, he does not like to negotiate over the phone and he hates me so he probably will not believe me when I say there are V dealers in his country."

I growl again. The king of England, Brandon Rolfe, had been her brief lover right before she married Ulric. He had hoped that they would wed, but she chose to marry Ulric instead, hoping to gain more power and wealth through an alliance with Germany than England.

I think again for a moment, "I will come for only a few days to coordinate the hunt for the dealers. Then I will go to London and meet with Brandon."

"There is no need to go to London," she says. "He is coming here. His wife is a _very_ close friend of mine and she persuaded him to come visit. I will be hosting a reception in his honour which will be a good time for you to ask him."

"Very well, I shall be there by tomorrow evening," I say and hang up on her.

I sit down to figure out what to say to Sookie. Finally I send her a text message asking her to come here.

Several minutes later she arrives. "What's wrong?"

"We need to go to France," I say quickly.

Her concerned face falls and she takes a deep breath. "Why?"

"There is a situation there that requires my presence," I say.

"Well have a safe trip because I'm not going," she says.

"I want you to come with me Sookie," I tell her gently. "I don't want to be apart from you."

"I have to catch up on my school work," she says.

I take her hands. "Please Sookie, I beg you. We'll stay in Marten's castle again." I send her my love and need through the bond as I rub my hands down her arms.

She heaves a sigh, "Alright, I'll go with you. Will there be a conjugal visit?" she says quietly.

"No Lover, there will be nothing like that," I say instantly.

"I'll go to our room and pack my clothes," she says.

When she leaves I go to my laptop and continue with my plans to get rid of Rosamund. I need to find a way to kill her without linking it me which will not be very easy. Killing a monarch is easy; getting away with it is the hard part. But I am resourceful and I will not stay married to her.

The next night in Bordeaux:

In Marten's castle I get ready for the reception in the hidden chamber below. When I know that the sun has gone down, I head upstairs to see if Sookie is ready. I find her in one of the rooms still in her jeans and t-shirt.

"Why aren't you dressed?" I ask her.

"I changed my mind, I don't want to go," she responds.

"Sookie, why are you being so difficult?" I say feeling my frustration returning.

"Why do you want me to go Eric? To help you and your wife by reading human minds? I'm not going and that is final," she says heatedly.

I glare at her, my anger is growing. "You will come with me because you are my bonded and my wife."

She laughs derisively, "I am not your wife Eric. My role has been reduced to nothing but a concubine. Your live-in whore."

My rage flows out of me as I stare at her, "You will not belittle yourself or our relationship. You know of your significance in my life. I have told you and proven it to you time after time."

She glares back, "If I am so significant, then respect my decision to not go. I can't believe you really expect me to go to a party at _your _wife's house and watch you both entertain your guests!"

I try to touch her but she recoils, "Just go Eric." I try again to touch her. "I said get out! Don't try to come into my room later on tonight!" I can feel her fury one last time before she shuts down the bond. This only deepens my anger and frustration. I leave her room without saying another word and storm off into the night.

**Sookie's POV:**

I lie on my bed in the guest room feeling a mixture of anger and sadness. This has been the first time in a very long time that Eric and I have argued that has resulted with me kicking him out. He is right; I have been pushing him away. I had hoped to be at a point of where I was able to tolerate the fact that he was now married, but so far that has not happened. The fact that he is persistent to keep close to me hasn't helped either. He doesn't seem to understand that I need space in order to try and deal with things.

I look at the clock as I turn the radio to listen to some music. It is almost 3 am. Suddenly I feel my phone vibrate.

I look at the private number, "Hello?" I asked sounding confused.

"Hi, it's me," my caller says.

"Oh hey," I say surprised. "Is there anything wrong?"

He goes silent for a moment, "Yes there is. It's about your Viking."

My heart rate speeds up as I feel an ache in my chest, "Etienne, tell me what's wrong."

"He is fine, do not worry," he says. I breathe a sigh of relief. "I am sorry to have alarmed you like that."

"That's okay. I'm just glad it isn't anything bad," I tell him.

He is silent again. "I was hoping to convince you to come over here. I think there is something you need to see."

"What is it?" I ask.

"It isn't something that can be explained over the telephone," he answers.

I dwell over his request. Unbeknownst to Eric, I have been talking to Etienne by email and internet chats for the past month. During this time he has become a good friend, despite the fact that he is Rosamund's child. I am still unsure of whether or not I trust him enough to be alone with him.

"Remember the things that I have told you Sookie? About a vampire's true nature?" he says.

I feel a sense of dread, "Yes."

"It has to do with that."

The ache in my chest returns again. "Can you come and pick me up?" I ask him.

"Yes, I am already outside. I have found a way to distract your guards. Go downstairs to the kitchen right now and open the door. Run quickly to the largest tree fifty yards to your right. I will be waiting there for you."

"Okay," I say. I hang up the phone. Without thinking about it, I put my shoes on and do what he says. When I am outside, I run as fast as I can to the largest tree that I see.

It is dark so I wave my hands around in front of me.

"Sookie," a voice whispers in my ear behind me that causes me to gasp. "It is me, I'm sorry that I startled you."

I let out a deep breath, "Where's your car?"

"I parked it about a half kilometre from here. Can you get on my back? It will be much faster," he says.

I nod and he helps me climb onto his back. "I am going to run very fast. It would be easier for you if you closed your eyes," he says.

I do as he says and suddenly I hear the wind whistling in my ears. We come to a complete stop and I open my eyes to see a black car in front of me. We drive silently to Rosamund's castle during which time I try to prepare myself for what is to come.

When we reach the castle he takes me to a bedroom on the main floor.

"What do you have to show me?" I ask quietly as I look around the room.

"Come," is all he says. He offers his hand to me and I give him mine. He leads me to a tapestry that is hanging on the wall. He flings it to the side as he runs his free hand against the wall. He finds a spot and taps on in it lightly. Suddenly the wall opens. It is a hidden door. He continues to lead me as we walk down a spiral staircase. He lets go of my hand once we reach a small room.

The room is dark and the only light that is shining through is coming from two small holes in the wall.

"Please, take a look," he whispers.

I take a deep breath as I walk to the light. I peer through the holes and hear voices. I hear the voices of women laughing and moaning. Suddenly I hear Eric's laugh. My heart stops.

Two gorgeous naked blonde women come prancing into my viewpoint. They caress and touch each other as they fall onto the large round bed. Rosamund appears into the picture wearing nothing but red panties. She looks at the women briefly and then looks towards something that I cannot see.

What I see next rips my heart in two. Eric comes into the picture with a beautiful naked brunette woman clinging to him. He is kissing her and is naked himself. He lowers her on the bed and lies on top of her looking ready to have sex. Rosamund sits on the bed beside him stroking his back. She stands up and slips off her underwear.

I can no longer bear to witness anymore of what I have just seen so I take a step back. My agony hits me with a force so strong that I feel my knees go weak. Etienne steps behind me and I collapse. He catches me before I hit the ground and puts his hand over my mouth to muffle my cries of pain. He carries me back up the spiral staircase. My world has just been shattered.

**A/N: *Whew* This is the longest chapter that I have written so far. I realise that I ended on a sad, angst cliffhanger that nobody ever likes, so I will start writing the next chapter tomorrow. It will be another Eric and Sookie POVs. I am giving myself a Tuesday night deadline to post it, maybe even earlier depending on if no one in my real life bugs me. As for this chapter, I am pretty sure I got the vampire wedding scene wrong from how it is portrayed in the books, so sorry about that! Take care everyone, and please remember, this is only fan fiction but I will still apologize if my writing makes you sad!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay so most people really want me to get past the sad parts and move on to the happy times. I really want that too so I am going to try to keep writing as fast as possible and not get distracted (which I easily am unfortunately lol). I've already been coming up with new ideas for upcoming chapters. I really have not decided on a solid ending yet, but that won't be for awhile. I'm calculating the story will be around 30 chapters, but certainly no more than that. I have other ideas for future stories that I would like to try. The next chapter will be all Sookie and what she has been doing, then after that let the happy days begin! lol As for this chapter please just pretend that it is still daylight in some parts. I looked up the Air France website and saw that it is an 11 hr flight time from Bordeaux to New York so in real life it would be dark when she gets there. **

**Sookie's POV:**

It felt like the whole world was crashing down on me. I couldn't breathe but yet sobs of despair were coming out of my mouth. The pain that I felt was so immense that I literally couldn't move my body. Fortunately Etienne was there to carry me up the stairs and away from that horrible scene that I had just witnessed.

We reach the bedroom again and he goes to sit on a chair with me in his lap. He tries to comfort me by stroking my hair. I feel an unbearable ache in my heart as I replay the scenes in my head. Those pictures will forever be embedded within my memory. It is a reminder of a deep betrayal that has penetrated my soul. Tears run down my face as I wail loudly.

Finally after what seems like an eternity, I begin to calm down, but I continue to whimper in his arms.

"I am deeply sorry that you had to see that Sookie, but you are my friend. I couldn't bear to not let you know what he is really like. You deserve better," he says still running his hand through my hair. A few times during our many chats he had discussed with me the natural characteristics of a vampire. He told me that vampires were not monogamous by nature, that it was in their blood to have sex and feed from more than one partner in their lives. I had told him that Eric was not like that, that he had overcome that natural desire that was in other vamps, but I guess I was wrong.

"I need to go home," I croak. "I can't be there when he comes back. I can't bear to look at him ever again!"

"Shhhhhh..." he says as he wipes the tears from my right cheek. "You wish to return home? Well in that case, I will help you."

I get up from his lap and sit on the bed. "How can you help me?"

He stands. "Well I can get you a flight home as quickly as possible. All I have to do is make a few phone calls."

I start to look around the room for my purse, but then I remember that I had left my purse and phone at Marten's castle.

"I don't have my passport or money," I counter.

"I can give you money," he says. "As for your passport, you must return to the castle anyway before your were guards realize that you are missing. Just after dawn you must leave your room and meet your guards just to make them aware that you are still there. Tell them that you are suffering from jet lag and convince them that you require more rest and to not disturb you. They will not bother you for at least several hours. Afterwards retreat back to your bedroom and take the items that you need. You will receive a phone call telling you where to go as I will arrange some kind of distraction for your guards that will allow you to make your escape. The transportation will then take you to the airport."

"But what if Eric returns there before dawn?" I squeak.

"He won't, he will rest here for the day with Rosamund," he says sympathetically.

I feel another stab in my heart and I break down once more. He sits beside me and gives me a hug. I weep into his chest.

"Sookie," he says soothingly rubbing my back. We stay like that for a few minutes. "I must make the necessary phone calls." He gets up and whips out his cell phone. He talks rapidly to someone in French.

I gaze out the window forlornly, feeling my heart ache knowing that Eric was somewhere in the basement having sex with his wife and other women. Luckily I was still able closed despite my turbulent emotional state.

"Sookie we must go, it is another hour before dawn," he tells me. I nod and he leads me out of the castle. We drive off in his car and stop on the same road as before. He opens the trunk of his car and pulls out a plastic bag. I climb on his back again and he runs quickly to Marten's castle.

"You must put this on," he says handing me the bag. We are standing at a safe distance from the castle. "You are covered in my scent. I will turn around so that you can change."

He turns his back on me and I quickly change out of my clothes and into the new ones. I put my old clothes back into the bag. He turns around once I am done.

"I must return," he says looking at the sky which is getting a little bit lighter. He takes the bag from me. "You remember Rosamund's daytime manager?" I nod. "He will be the one calling you, telling you what to do next. He will also take you to the airport and give you money to complete your journey home."

"Thank you Etienne for everything that you have done," I say, my throat hoarse.

"There is no need to thank me. Friends always help each other in their time of need. Send me a message once you have arrived home safely," he tells me. I nod again and he disappears into the night.

I take a deep gulp and run back inside. As soon as I reach my room, I close the door and collapse against it sobbing, slowly sliding down to the floor.

I sit there for about twenty minutes but soon afterwards my self-preservation starts to kick in. I need to pull myself together if I want to get away from Eric. I get up from the floor and go to the bathroom to wash my face. My eyes are completely red and swollen from crying. I go to the desk and pull out some stationary in order to write a note for Eric.

_If you are reading this then you know that I have left. I know it is futile to ask you to not look for me but I will. Please do not come to me, do not try to look for me and reclaim me. I don't want you, I don't want to marry you and spend an eternity with you. If you have any love for me, just please let me live out my life alone, without you. Tonight I realised that it was wrong of me to expect you to change who you are. I also realised that I could never fit into the life that you have built. You have betrayed me in the worst possible way. If you have ever had any respect or love for me, then you know that you have to let me go. _

_Sookie_

A few tear drops land on the paper as I begin to fold it. I find an envelope and stuff the note inside. I look at my ring that is still on my finger. I take it off and put it inside the envelope as well.

The sun is starting to peak, so I change my clothes again. I gather up the stuff that I need into a backpack. Once I have done that I head downstairs to look for my were guards. I find Taylor in the breakfast room eating a bowl of oatmeal.

He looks up and smiles, "Good morning Sookie." His smile turns into a look of concern when he sees my eyes. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not feeling very well," I tell him truthfully. "Me and Eric had an argument last night that didn't end so well." He starts to look more concerned.

"Don't worry, he didn't hurt me physically or anything like that. I just think I'm a little bit stressed out. It probably doesn't help that I got absolutely no sleep last night. It must be the jetlag," I explain.

He still looks worried, "Oh then you should try to get some sleep Sookie. I'll make sure the cleaning staff doesn't go in there and bother you. Okay?"

"Yeah you're right. I should head back to my room and try to force myself to sleep. Have a good day Taylor, I'll see you later on this afternoon," I say.

"See you later Sook," he says.

I head back upstairs and sit on the bed cross-legged. I sit there for a few minutes and suddenly my phone rings and right away I answer it.

"Hello?"

"Miss Stackhouse?" the voice asks.

"Yes this is me." I say quietly.

"Good. This is Ari, I have put together a last minute escape route for you. From what my surveillance has said, only two of your were guards are awake. The other three are still sleeping in their quarters. You must follow my exact instructions..."

I listen to him as he explains which door to leave from. He seems familiar with the floor plan of Marten's castle. I make a mental note to tell Marten that. That is if I ever see him again. I put on my backpack and jacket and follow Ari's route. I make it outside and begin running towards a field and into the forest. I stop in order to catch my breath and lean against a tree.

"Miss Stackhouse," a voice calls behind me.

I spin around to see Ari standing there in a fleece jacket and jeans. "Yes."

"Please follow me, I will take you to my car," he says.

He walks briskly through the forest and I have a hard time keeping up with him. Twenty minutes later we reach his car. We drive off heading to the airport.

I look out my window, recalling my horrible fresh new memories.

"I was surprised when Etienne called me, telling me to help you get home," he says. "You are running away from the vampires I assume?"

I don't really feel like having a conversation with him so I just nod.

"I don't blame you. Vampires are ruthless, conniving individuals with no souls," he says.

"No argument here," I reply. "Then why do you work for them?"

"Because fortunately for them, I have no conscience. They pay very well. I used to work for MI6 before Rosamund offered me a job. She gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse," he says. The rest of the ride is silent and we finally reach the airport.

"Here is your money," he says handing me a leather wallet. "There is more than enough in there to get home. Your ticket has already been paid for. You will be boarding an Air France jet. There will be a stopover in Paris and New York, then after that you board the next plane that will take you New Orleans, then to Shreveport. I have arranged for transportation to pick you up once you get to Shreveport."

I thank him and go into the airport. An hour later I board my flight that is taking me to Paris then to New York. The flight is long and I manage to get a restless sleep. After a lengthy flight time, the plane lands at JFK airport.

I have something to eat while I wait in the terminal for my next flight to New Orleans. As I wait I look through my bag and find the banking information for the money that Bill left me. It starts to dawn on me that I can't go home. More than likely, Eric will probably be waiting for me at the airport in Shreveport or Pam will be there. Even if I object, he will force me to go back to him. He will break me to the point that I will have no other alternative but to accept him as who he is and also to accept my place as his human concubine. He will probably also put me on a tighter leash so that I will never have the opportunity to run from him again.

I get up from my chair and make my way through the airport. I see a large charity donation bin for the humane society. I throw in the leather wallet full of money. I look through my address book to find Amelia's phone number and search for a pay phone to call her. I use the change from my own purse and dial her number.

She picks up on the third ring, "Hello?" she asks.

"Amelia!" I say sounding relieved.

"Sookie? Is that really you? Where are you?" she asks.

"I'm at the airport here in New York."

"What! What are you doing there?"

"I can't explain over the phone, but can you give me your address?"

She offers to pick me up but I decline so she gives me her address. I wait outside and hail a cab. I had $214 in my own wallet so I use that to pay for the cab.

I get to her apartment building and find her waiting outside for me. I rush out of the cab to hug her and I start crying all over again. She holds me as she leads me into her apartment. Once we are inside she offers me some water and I drink it. After I settle down, I tell her everything that has happened in the past few months up to last night. She listens to me as I see tears form in her eyes.

"That's terrible Sookie!" she says hugging me again. "Stay here with me. I have plenty of space here, you can start over."

I shake my head. "I can't stay Amelia. He will come here and force me to go back with him. I have to keep going. I don't know if he already knows that I am gone," I say.

She looks at me with sympathy in her eyes, "Is there anything that I can do?"

"Yes help me find a branch of this bank," I say showing her the bank statement. "I need to make a withdrawal. Then take me to a bus station."

She looks up the bank name on the internet and finds the address for the bank branch that has Bill's money. We go to that bank and I head to the teller in order to make a withdrawal of $15,000. Once I get the money we head to the bus station and I hug Amelia outside.

"I'll wait with you till you get on your bus," she says.

"You can't. You can't know where I am going; it would be too dangerous for you to know. Be careful, Eric will definitely be contacting you very soon," I tell her.

"I won't tell him anything Sookie I promise," she says crying. "Please call me. To let me know that you are alright."

"I'll contact you when I find a place to stay," I tell her. We say goodbye one last time and I head into the bus station. I mull over my options of where to go. It is probable that Eric has a lot of contacts all over the states. I may need to leave the country. I speed through my memories trying to think about all the times that Eric has discussed his travels in Canada and there has only been a few. I decide that Canada is my best option for now.

I purchase a ticket to Toronto. Forty minutes later I get on the bus. I have a hard time trying to sleep in the uncomfortable seat so I take the time to ponder about where I should go once I reach Toronto. I know that I have stay out of the major cities. My mind wanders off to my fond memories of Eric as they help me drift off to sleep.

**Eric`s POV: ****The night of Rosamund`s party**

I storm out of Sookie's room feeling outraged. How dare she kick me out of the room and shut me out by closing the bond! I have done almost everything in my powers to keep her happy but still it is not enough. I have given her a comfortable home, love and my complete attention. I have been attentive to all her needs and I have given her idiot were brother more than enough money and gifts to live comfortably. No doubt he has spent my hard earned money foolishly. But no matter what I do it is never enough for her. I jump into the waiting limo that will take me to Rosamund's home. I force myself to calm down enough in order to get through the evening.

Once I get there I stick with my plan of persuading Brandon to cooperate with Rosamund. A servant directs me to the Great Room where a large group of vampires are mingling with one another. Some of the vampires have brought their human pets.

I continue to look around the room and lock eyes with Rosamund who immediately comes to me.

"Eric, my dear husband, you have finally arrived," she says, she is about to embrace me but refrains, perhaps remembering our deal.

"Where is Brandon?" I snip at her.

"He's over there," she points out. He is chatting with a sheriff.

I walk away from her without saying a word and approach the red haired English king.

"Brandon Rolfe, it is a great honour to meet you once again. It has been over seventy years since we last saw each other," I say as I greet him.

He looks at me, "Northman," he acknowledges. The sheriff leaves. "Yes it has been that long, though it feels like yesterday. It was in Alsace I believe where I last saw you. You had dreams of becoming wealthy in America and I have heard that you have accomplished that and even more. Now you stand here before me as a king. Tell me how do you like it so far?"

"It has been great. The people who are below me are loyal and work very hard to please me. My businesses have been running smoothly also."

"The people below you, you say?" he comments with a raised eyebrow, "I take it Rosamund has been performing her duties 'underneath you' brilliantly?"

"She knows her place," I remark.

"I was surprised when I found out that you had chosen her to become your queen," he says.

"Brandon..." I say but he interrupts me.

"Please do not think that I am jealous of your marriage. Quite the contrary, I admit that I was more than displeased when she married Ulric, but quickly found myself relieved when I saw what she drove him to become. Which was a worthless, pathetic, weak vampire."

"That won't happen to me," I adamantly tell him.

"I surely hope not. I like you Northman. I have always had a certain amount of respect for you," he tells me.

"Then you will aid Rosamund and I with our predicament?" I ask.

"Yes but only because you have asked me. I seem to remember that it was you who immediately came to my assistance after the Germans bombed London. I believe that I owe you some favours."

"Thank you," I tell him.

"There is no need to thank me. Call me anytime that you need my help. I must go. I wish to have dinner with my wife before the sun rises. I see that she has already found a suitable course," he says. I look in the direction that he is looking at and see his vampire wife standing by the entrance with a female human.

He leaves and I contemplate if I should go back to Marten's castle now that I have achieved my objective. After a quick internal deliberation, I decide against it. I still feel angry and frustrated with Sookie. Knowing that she doesn't want me near her tonight just makes me even angrier. I spend quite a great deal of time at the party talking to old acquaintances and discussing future business endeavours. Rosamund wisely stays away from me and my mood begins to improve.

Not before long I start to feel a desire to be with Sookie. I excuse myself from the party in order to try to reach her through our bond. I wander off to the balcony and look at my watch. It is nearing 3 am and she is probably still awake.

Just as I am about to try, I smell something incredible. Something that is more incredible than Sookie's scent. Right away my fangs descend and I follow the scent into the castle.

I go through the entryway of the drawing room, through the library. I continue to walk through the castle and finally come to a long hallway. At the end there is a door ajar with light seeping through. That glorious scent is coming from behind the door and as I walk closer it starts to get stronger.

When I open it I see an incredibly beautiful woman standing there in nothing but a transparent white negligee. I stare at the outline of her body and notice her ample breasts, long legs and curvaceous ass.

I continue to stare at her and not notice Rosamund's arrival.

"See anything you like?" she asks walking towards the woman and standing beside her. Rosamund brushes away the caramel coloured hair from the woman's neck. I stare at the pulse on her neck fighting the urge to feed from her. "This is Natasha. She is half fairy and is very tasty," Rosamund's comments. She takes the woman's hand and leads through a door and down some stairs.

I try to fight the urge to not follow but to no avail as my weeks of pent up sexual frustration starts to close in on me. I walk to the door and down the stairs to go after them.

"This is my play room," Rosamund says smiling seductively. She is still beside the woman and raises her hand towards me.

"Come have a taste of her Eric," she says. "She is truly delightful." Rosamund extends her fangs and takes the woman's finger into her mouth. She pricks it and a drop of blood forms from the wound. She once again extends her arm and hand to me.

I immediately lose control once the scent of her blood reaches my senses. I rush to her, take her hand and put her finger into my mouth. Instantly my blood lust is ignited after the first taste. I smash my lips against hers as I shred her transparent negligee off her body. I run my hands all over her body enjoying the feel of her warm soft skin as I lose control and let my natural desires take over. I become vaguely aware that there are now other people in the room as I ravage the half fairy woman. I can hear voices and giggling as suddenly my own clothes are being ripped from my body. But I keep my focus on this half fairy as I plunge my fangs into the pulse on her neck.

Her fairy blood engulfs me as I feel it coursing through my body lifting me up into an unbelievable high. I start to laugh uncontrollably after taking my fill of her rich tasting blood. I lift her, holding her up by her thighs and go towards the bed.

I put her on the bed and lie on top of her positioning myself between her thighs. She touches my fangs and pricks her finger again. A drop of her blood lands on my tongue and I push into her. She moans in passion as I plunge in and out of her in my vampire speed. I feel a mixture of guilt and lust. The feeling of guilt starts to get stronger but I cannot bring myself to stop fucking this woman beneath me.

I do not know how long I continue to fuck her but I can feel my impending orgasm approaching.

Just as I am about to climax, I feel lips sucking on my earlobe. "It's my turn now," another woman's voice says.

I turn my head and see Rosamund lying beside us grabbing my arm. "I need you inside me," she moans.

Seeing her there snaps me back to reality. Immediately I pull out of the woman and stand. I grab Rosamund angrily and hurl her across the room. She crashes into the wall leaving a dent.

I hear screaming as I look at the bed and see two other women there along with the half fairy. They are clearly frightened.

"Get out," I growl angrily at them. They scramble off the bed still screaming as they stumble to the door and up the stairs.

I look back towards Rosamund who has now picked herself up from the floor and is brushing off the pieces off drywall from her skin and hair.

"How dare you do this to me!" I yell at her. The urge to end her life right now is overwhelming.

She smiles at me maliciously. "I didn't do anything to you Eric. This was all you."

"You tempted me with that woman, that half fairy," I seethe.

She put her hands on her hips. "This is who you are Eric. This is what it means to be a vampire. This would have happened eventually. I just wanted it to be with me, your wife. Your relationship can only go so far with that telepath, sooner or later, your vampire instincts will take precedence over whatever you think you feel for her."

"I have lived this life longer than you and I know more about what it means to be a vampire." I snarl at her. "You know nothing about me or my relationship with my woman!"

"We shall see about that," she smirks. "Looks like you'll be spending the day here with me."

I focus intensely and can sense that that the sun is about to rise. I will not be able to make it in time back to Marten's castle.

"I will not go to rest in the same room you, get me a coffin!" I demand.

"There is one in that room," she says pointing. I look down to search for my clothes but see my tattered clothing scattered around the floor.

"Oh husband," she says sarcastically, "I will see you this evening." She leaves the room in her vampire speed up the stairs.

I look around the room and find my phone from my tattered jacket. Unfortunately it is broken. I go into the room and securely lock it. Afterwards I get into the coffin to die for the day.

The next night I rise and immediately I feel the guilt of my sexual encounter with the woman. This guilt that I feel is too strong so I don't try to reach her through our bond as she may have opened up her end.

This begs the question of whether or not I should tell Sookie. If I tell her she will be hurt and she may not be able to forgive me. I can still feel that the sun is burning in the sky so I think about my dilemma until it finally sets.

_I need to find clothes, _I think to myself. I go upstairs naked and find a startled male servant and order him to get me something to wear. He brings me back some track pants and a t-shirt.

"You are leaving already?" Rosamund says as I stand outside on the balcony ready to take flight.

I don't bother to look at her, "If you mention this to anyone, I will kill you," I say in my deadliest tone.

When I land at the castle I immediately decide to look for Sookie. When I walk in I hear the voices of the weres, Clint, and Savannah in the library. The weres sound panicked as Sookie's guard Savannah talks rapidly on her phone.

Once I walk into the library they stop talking amongst each other and stare at me.

"What is going on here?" I demand.

There are only two of the weres in the room and they have fear in their eyes.

"Sookie is missing," Savannah responds.

I quickly run up to Sookie's room and find it empty. I tear through the bed and her belongings looking for clues of her whereabouts. Once I find nothing I speed downstairs back into the library. I grab one of the weres by the throat.

"When did you notice she was missing?" I ask roughly.

He is wheezing, trying to breathe. "Around three o' clock this afternoon," he manages to say.

"We have looked all over the grounds your majesty. We could not track her scent as it has disappeared. She must have left early in the morning," she says.

"What has been done so far?" I say as I drop the were.

"Clint has gone to the airport to find out if she got on a plane. Three of the weres have searching the city and the area since they first noticed that she was gone," she says.

"How do you know that she left on her own free will and was not kidnapped?"

She holds up an envelope. I take it from her and open it. Her engagement ring is in there. I take out the piece of stationary. Once I open it I can smell the scent of her tears on it. The feeling of remorse starts to increase in me as I read the contents of the letter.

I must push aside these feelings for now and focus on trying to find Sookie. I start to give more orders to the weres and to Savannah. I look at the clock and unfortunately Pam and my underlings in Louisiana are still resting; it is still daylight over there.

Savannah's phone rings and she answers it. "It is Clint," she says and gives the phone to me.

"She has gone back to the states," he says.

I growl. "Get my jet ready for immediate departure." I hang up.

I try to will myself to calm down. I need to find her before I lose her forever.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Short chapter this time. I'm hoping to have the next chapter completed by Friday night if all goes well. Thanks for continuing to read my story!**

**Sookie's POV: ****Two and half months later**

It has been over two months since I had last seen Eric. Over two months since I had last seen any of my family members and friends. Two months living under the radar and using a fake name. I never dared to try and open the bond though there were many times that I could feel a strong pull from him trying to reach me. That just made me feel worse than I already felt. When I had reached Toronto I had to make the choice of going either east or west. I went to a bookstore and looked at some tourism guides to help me decide where I wanted to go. After careful deliberation I decide to go west. After spending two days in Toronto buying new clothes and toiletries, I boarded another bus that would take me westward to the Rocky Mountains. I was initially worried that Eric could find me by my bus ticket purchases but thankfully they didn't ask for identification. For three days I travelled on the bus and found that I was only ¼ away from my destination in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I never realized how vast this country was. Finally I had reached Regina, Saskatchewan. I decided to stay in this area for at least a few weeks because I was tired of travelling. I got a motel room on the outskirts of the city where I spent most of my time sleeping and wallowing in self pity. I wasn't sure how big the vampire population was in this city but just to be safe I remained in my motel room at night. I spent six days in Regina before making the decision to go back to my original plan; which was to stay out of the major cities. Again I looked at some travel brochures to find a small town to reside in. Eventually I found some information on a town called Rockglen. I jumped on another bus and stayed in Rockglen for two weeks but still was not certain that I wanted to remain there indefinitely. I still wanted to live near the Rocky Mountains.

So I boarded another bus that took me to Alberta. Eventually we stopped in a tourist town called Canmore. As soon as I got off the bus I knew this was where I wanted to remain. The atmosphere was cool, clean and breezy. The air smelled like pine trees and fresh wildflowers. The landscape was picturesque with the Canadian Rockies serving as the background.

I rented another motel room for a few weeks. I had so much free time on my hands that during the day I would take hikes in the woods. I would spend most of my time thinking about my situation and how much I missed my family and friends. I would think about Eric constantly. I missed him immensely; despite the fact that I knew that there was no way I could ever be with him again. I had spent over three years of my life with him. He had been my best friend, my husband, my lover, my everything. It felt strange and utterly lonely being single once again.

There were many factors that I also had a lot of time to think about. One of which was whether or not I should change my hair colour. I bought a bottle of hair dye but never got around to applying it. I figured I wouldn't be recognised anyway since I only went out during the day. I also didn't think that Eric hired bounty hunters to look for me as they could be dangerous and try to hurt me physically. In taking other precautions, I abandoned my email box and cell phone.

In Canmore, I rarely spoke to anyone and I was starting to feel even more depressed from the lack of camaraderie. I also needed to find a job and a place to live because Bill's money would eventually run out. I had only taken $15,000 from the account and I wasn't sure if Amelia had been forced by now to confess my secret bank account. Unfortunately finding work was another problem. I had no work visa and if I applied for one, Eric might be able to trace me. I went to a grocery store one day and browsed the community bulletin to look for work that I hoped wouldn't require a work visa. I came across an ad that was looking for help in a small bookstore. I wrote down the number and called there later. An older woman answered and asked me to meet her at her store for an interview. When I got there she introduced herself as Anna Pember. I told her my name was Adele Blackwood, using my grandmother's name and a last name that I came up with. We got along extremely well and we talked for over two hours. She was a widow in her mid 70s and had no children. She was very nice and reminded me of my gran. She offered me a job and a place to stay in her house. The house was large as it used to be a bed and breakfast. It was about a fifteen minute walk from the bookstore that she owned. She explained to me that she was getting too old to run the store by herself and had wanted someone to help, someone she could trust. I probed her mind and saw that she felt that I was trustworthy and didn't harbour any suspicions towards me. I had told her that I had no work visa so she decided to pay me by free room and board and a weekly allowance. I moved into her home the next day.

Today time has been going by so slow. There have only been a few customers who have come by the store to browse. I sit here in front of the cash register and look out the window towards the mountain and see the top covered in white mist. I hate days like these when it is not busy and it allows me more time to think. It's during days like these that I miss everyone I care about, especially Eric even more than I already do. I think about my nephew and how much he must have grown by now. I think about my brother and Tara; they must be overcome with worry for me. I think about Pam, one of my best friends who is probably angry at me for leaving. But especially I think about Eric the most. I try to focus on the good times with him but my mind always torments me with my last memories of him. I still feel a constant ache in my chest that never seems to go away and it also seems that I cannot go one night without crying over him.

"You wear that sad face too often, Adele," Anna says who is standing by the back door of the bookstore. "I've seen that sad look before. As a matter of fact, I have had that same look before."

I gaze at her wearily and give her a tired smile.

"I can tell that you are a woman who is suffering from a broken heart and whoever was the cause, you still love."

"Yeah well... I guess my love wasn't enough for him because he betrayed me with other women," I say sadly. A few tears come out of my eyes.

"Oh my dear," she says in a sympathetic tone. "I want to tell you a story. I married my husband when I was 20 years old. For fifteen years we were so in love, just crazy about each other. We were completely devoted to each other despite the fact that I couldn't have children. The one snag in our marriage was that he travelled a lot for his job, but I always had complete trust in him. I never doubted that he would betray my trust. One day he left on one of his business trips and returned three days later. He had changed; it was like he was keeping something from me. A week later while I was washing dishes he came up to me and told me that he slept with another woman. I was absolutely heartbroken and devastated. I threw some plates at him and swore at him, told him that I would never forgive him. Afterwards for two weeks I never spoke one word to him."

I shed a few tears for her.

"Adele, I am not telling you this to make you feel pity for me, I tell you this to help you learn from my mistakes. It took me six years to forgive him. But when I look back my most deepest regret is that we wasted six years those years with feelings of sadness and hatred. Six years that we could've been happy together if I only just gave him another chance in the beginning. I don't want you to make that same mistake. I don't want you to wake up ten years from now realizing that you have wasted your youth feeling only despair and bitterness. I know that you must have run away, but you will not heal yourself by fleeing from your problems. You have to face it before it consumes you and all you have left is hatred."

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I know that she is right. I know that emotionally I wasn't getting any better, I was getting worse. But returning to Eric was something that I wasn't ready to do.

"You're right," I tell her. "But I don't think I'm ready to take that step towards forgiveness just yet."

She comes up beside me and takes my hand, "Well then my dear, take all the time that you need because you are welcome to stay in my home for as long as you want. I think that if I had a daughter, she would have been just like you."

I smile back at her and squeeze her hand gently, "Thank you Anna."

"Okay, back to business," she says, "You know about my weekly book club meetings?"

I nod my head.

"Well tonight the meeting is scheduled to be here. Unfortunately I do not feel very feel right now and I think it may be a cold," she says.

I look at her with concern. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Yes as a matter of fact there is. I need you to open the store for them tonight so they can have their meeting," she says.

I look at her hesitantly. I had spent over two months avoiding the outdoor darkness for fear of running into vampires. "Ummm yeah that's fine," I reluctantly reply.

"Thank you my dear," she smiles at me. "I am going to go home now and rest. I will see you later on tonight when you come home," she says giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"See you tonight Anna," I kiss her back.

She leaves and for the rest of the day I sit there waiting on the few customers who have made purchases and reading some of the new stock of books. As it gets darker, my anxiety begins to grow.

As soon as Anna`s club members arrive, I put the closed sign on the front door. Most of the members are old women close to Anna`s age. There are a few women close to my age as well. Occasionally I still listen in on people`s thoughts just to see if they suspect anything about me. Most of them think of me as a nice woman who doesn`t smile enough. I also check to see if they have seen any strange vampires in the area that may pose a threat. Canmore does receive vampire tourists, but thankfully I have been lucky enough not to have run into one.

"Adele, would you like to join us tonight?" one of the older women asks me.

"Ummm, thank you for your kind offer," I respond, "But I should probably finish stocking the new books and supplies."

I resume my work while they have their meeting in the back where the couches and fireplace are.

Finally they finish about 10:00pm and they all leave one by one.

Rather than heading home myself, I decide to clean up the store now than doing it early in the morning. I sweep the floor and throw out the garbage.

As I wind down I realise it is about 10:45 so I decide to head home. I get ready, turn off the lights and go outside. I lock up the store but suddenly get an eerie feeling as though someone is watching me. Chills run down my spine as I look around. It is completely dark with only the street lights providing illumination.I quickly put my keys back into my pocket and start speed walking home.

Five minutes later as I walk I hear a sound like the breaking of a tree branch. I stop to look around feeling terrified. I drop my shields and probe to find anybody but can sense nothing. Suddenly I sense a couple of blank voids; it has to be vampires. I start running in the direction of the house.

I only make it about ten feet before I run into a vampire. I try to scream but unexpectedly a pair of hands covers my mouth from behind.

"Are you Sookie Stackhouse?" the vampire in front of me asks with his fangs out. He has short black hair and is about as tall as me.

I try to lie so I shake my head.

"I think that you are lying," he says to me in a sinister voice. He sniffs me. "You smell wonderful." He looks over my body and licks his lips.

"She smells delicious, don't you think?" he says to the vampire who is holding me from behind. I can feel him sniffing my neck as I struggle.

"She smells good," he says. I can feel his erection on my back. This is not good; my memories of the fairy incident creep up in my mind. I fight the urge to vomit or pass out.

"It's too bad our employers gave us specific instructions that she was not to be touched," the vampire says in front of me. "But I think we can still have some fun with her. We'll just heal her bite marks and glamour her afterwards," he says with a menacing smile. They obviously don't know that I cannot be glamoured.

"This is going to be a special treat. Not only will we be able to taste her, but we will be getting paid an enormous amount of money when we deliver her to the king and queen," the vamp behind me comments. My heart breaks a little bit more from his comment. It is painfully apparent to me that they are referring to Eric and Rosamund and that Eric is now with her. They must have hired bounty hunters to find me despite the danger. _Just get it over with, _I think to myself as I give up my struggle.

"I get first taste, since I was the one who spotted her first," the vamp in front of me says. He comes closer to me and leans in ready to bite my neck. I brace myself but all of a sudden he is snatched up and swishes up in a blur into the sky.

I could tell that the other vamp who is holding me is confused as he looks around for his partner. Suddenly we hear a short piercing scream in the air and then nothing.

"Leo!" the vamp yells calling for his partner.

We start to hear the wind whistling around us as though someone is moving at an incredible speed.

He tightens his hold on me.

"Come out!" he demands to the anonymous individual who has probably killed his partner. "Show yourself!" he yells.

The sound of the rapid movements around us stops. "If you come anywhere near us I will kill her!" he yells out holding onto me as though I'm his lifeline.

Without warning the vamp lets me go and I stumble forth a little bit. My first inclination is to run but I know that I cannot outrun him so I turn around to face him. I see the vampire slowly walking backwards away from me with a look of fear in his eyes. I can tell that somehow he is being forced to move away from me; like a magnet is drawing him away.

"Help," he says to me in a terrified voice as he suddenly stops. I can feel some kind of energy building up and spontaneously he bursts into flames.

I scream and start running in the direction of the house. I continue to run down the road but all of a sudden I trip on a stone. A strong pair of arms catches me before I fall to the ground.

My heart is beating rapidly as I see a man's chest in front of me. I look up into a pair of familiar blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I ask feeling shocked and surprised.


	15. Chapter 15

**Sookie's POV:**

"What are you doing here?" I exclaim.

"You were in trouble," he replies.

It is dark but I can still see him clearly with the moon shining down on us. For a minute or two I do nothing but gaze into his gorgeous blue eyes feeling stunned. Then I realize what had just happened and that my hands are still planted firmly on his chest. I quickly move away from him.

"How did you find me? Did you know those men? Are you going to hurt me? Did someone hire you to look for me?" I blurt all my questions out one after another.

He just smiles at me. It is one of the most incredible smiles I have ever seen. I get tingles inside my stomach but I brush it aside and try to keep myself focused.

"Are you alright?" he asks me. I just nod back. "No one has sent me to look for you and I am not going to hurt you. I will explain how I am here, but first I will walk you back to your home so that you may sit down to calm your nerves."

"Okay," I gulp. We walk the rest of the way back to the house in silence. Once in awhile I would glance up at him and he would glance back. Soon we reach Anna's large red and white house. All the lights are off inside so I assume that she must be asleep. I walk up the steps and sit down on the porch swing.

"Would you like to sit down?" I ask him.

"Thank you," he says and comes to sit beside me.

"We don't have any True Blood inside, so I'm sorry I can't offer you anything," I tell him.

"That's alright Sookie," he says smiling at me again. I smile back at him nervously. "I shall tell you how I came to be here," he says.

**Marius' POV: ****Flashback in New York Over Two Months Ago**

After a long flight, I descend down to the balcony of my son's penthouse apartment. I punch in the code to the balcony door of Marten's office. Through our bond, he is aware that I am here but continues his task in the other room. I can hear him speaking to someone in the living room.

I lean back into a chair listening to my son converse in the other room with a distressed sounding vampire.

"Of course, this will be kept confidential," Marten says continuing to speak to the male vampire. "How long has she disappeared?"

"She has been missing for four days already. She was supposed to board a connecting flight to Louisiana from the airport but she never did. I have spoken to her friend and forced her to tell me where she went. She said that she got on a bus using money she withdrew from a bank account. I found out that she purchased a ticket to Toronto and from there the trail ends," the other vampire says.

"That country is enormous," Marten says. "It will be a difficult task to find her."

"But you will give me aid?" he asks.

"Yes I shall look into it myself," Marten replies.

"This information must only be disclosed to a few. If more find out that she is alone out there, then she will be in even more danger," he says irately.

"Like I said," my son says calmly, "I will look into it myself. If I need help then I will turn to someone I can trust, and there are only a few individuals of that nature on the entire planet."

I get up from my chair after losing interest in their conversation and go outside to look out at the city. A few minutes later I can hear Marten in his office. He briefly stops at his desk and then comes outside to join me.

"Father, I am pleased to see you," he says to me.

I turn around to face him. "It is good to see you too my son. I am glad that you are well," I pat his arm. "Who was the vampire that you were speaking to?"

"That was Eric Northman," he says.

"He seems troubled over someone," I say.

"Yes, his bonded human disappeared several days ago. He wants me to help him find her. He didn't mention why she ran away from him. I suspect it has to do with his new wife."

I look back out at the city feeling indifferent again.

"It must have been a long journey for you father. We should feed. I will go downstairs and come back with an assortment of donors for us," he says.

"Do what you must," I reply. He then goes back inside. I stand there staring at the city for a few more minutes then I go back in as well. As I walk into the room I see something on Marten's computer that catches my eye.

I look at the screen and see the beautiful blonde woman that peaked my interest several months ago. I continue to stare at the picture until Marten returns.

"I have brought the donors. They are waiting across the hall in the..." he says but I cut him off.

"Why do you have a picture of this woman?" I ask him.

He comes to stand beside me and looks at the screen. "She is Northman's bonded human. Her name is Sookie Stackhouse."

I focus on her picture again for a moment then I close his laptop. "Do not look for her," I tell him. "When Northman contacts you and asks you about the status of your search, tell him that you have come up empty handed."

"Yes father," he says in a respective manner. "May I ask why?"

I ignore his question and start to walk towards the balcony again. "I am leaving now. I will not be contacting you for another several months." I shoot up into the sky before he can say anything else.

**Sookie's POV:**

"I have been searching for you ever since. I had heard that there were two bounty hunters looking for a blonde human woman. I followed them here," he says.

I stare blankly at a potted plant in front of me. "You didn't see him," I ask quietly.

"No, but the tone in his voice was full of concern for you," he answers knowing that I am talking about Eric.

I think about Eric briefly and decide to change the subject, "I didn't know that Marten was your child. He mentioned you once to me in Las Vegas. From what I could grasp he loves you a lot."

"Yes I love him dearly as well. I was quite fortunate to have found him and to share with him all that I have. He is the best part of me," his voice deep with emotion.

"Do you know if there will be others after me soon?" I ask him.

"No, I have scanned the surrounding area. They were the only ones who were searching for you. But there will be more coming, probably within the next couple of days. Whoever they were working for will come because they will not be reporting in."

"Oh," I say hopelessly. If they were Eric's men, then that means he and his bitch wife will probably be coming here soon. _I am so fucked._

"You will have to leave. It is not safe to stay here anymore unprotected," he tells me.

My mind starts racing again of where I should go. I could return to the states, but where? I only have a few thousand dollars left. Soon that will be gone and I will have no choice but to return home where Eric will find and take me back. Who knows how angry he is with me for running away. I don't think he would hurt me but he could punish me. I start fidgeting in my seat.

"I could take you somewhere," he says. "Somewhere where you will be safe."

I look at him surprised. He wants to help me? I can't help but think to myself about what the catch is going to be. What does he want in return?

"Why do you want to help me?" I ask.

He is silent for a moment. "Because I think that you are worth protecting."

"You don't even know me," I say. "It's safe to say that I have a lot of more baggage than most people."

"Yes, it is true that I do not know you very well, but I would like to get to know you better."

I stand up. "Well if you want to use me for my telepathic abilities then you are wasting your time," I say crossly.

He just looks up at me and smiles. "That was something I did not know about you. Now we are starting to get to know each other. Is there anything you would like to know about me?"

I can't help but smile back but I wipe it away. "How did that vampire who was holding me catch fire?"

"Because I set him on fire with my mind."

I stand there staring with my mouth open. "You can do that?" I finally ask.

"There are many things that I can do," he responds.

I gulp. I start to think again about whether or not I should go with him. There is no doubt that he is dangerous, but my gut tells me that he would never hurt me. If he wanted me to go with him he could just simply take me, but he is asking me.

"I need a little bit of time to think about your offer."

He stands up as well. "Very well, I knew that you would say that. Think about it during the day. I will return here tonight to hear your answer."

He starts to walk down the steps.

"Wait!" I say loudly. He turns around. "Are you sure that there is no one else out there right now out to get me?"

He chuckles. "No, you will be safe tonight. I will watch over this house and you until dawn."

"Thanks I guess. Even if it is a little bit creepy to know that you will be out there watching me," I mumble.

He just laughs. "Good night Sookie," he says and then disappears.

I head inside and go to my bedroom. I get myself ready for bed and fall asleep quickly for once thinking about someone else other than Eric.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing that pops in my mind is Marius' offer. I think about it during breakfast, at work, and during dinner.

"Is there something wrong Adele? You seem so preoccupied with something," Anna asks me from across the table in the dining room.

I smile at her. "I've been thinking about whether or not I should go home."

"Oh my, that is a big decision that you must make. No wonder you seemed so distracted today," she says.

I twirl the mashed potatoes around my plate and continue thinking. If I go with him, I know that I have a better chance at not being found. Even though I barely know him, I know that he would never hurt me intentionally. I'm also running out of options. I don't have enough money to settle down in a new area. I also know that if I remain here in Canmore with Anna much longer than I could be putting her in danger. My mind turns to the memory of how my grandmother died. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if Anna got hurt because of me. Then there is the other problem of running off with a virtual stranger. Could I do something like that? Leave with someone I have known for only a few hours?

It's finally dark outside as Anna and I sit in the family room doing our cross stitching. I look out the window knowing he was probably out there right now.

"I'm going to go sit outside for a few minutes, I'll be right back," I tell her.

She smiles at me looking away from her work and nods.

I step outside onto the porch and look around.

"Good evening Sookie," someone says behind me.

I yelp and spin around really fast.

He chuckles quietly, "Forgive me for startling you."

"That's alright, just don't do that to me again," I sigh.

"Have you made your decision?" he asks.

"Yes I have. But first I need to know that you aren't going to use me for my telepathy. And I also need to know that you don't want me for you know..."my voice trails off as I start to blush.

He laughs again. "Sookie, I have the most honourable intentions. I will not touch you unless you ask me to. As for your telepathy, that is something that I do not require the use of."

I breathe in deeply preparing to give him my answer. "Okay I will go with you."

"Perfect," he says.

"I need to pack my stuff. It won't take very long because I don't have much."

"Invite me inside," he says suddenly.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because I will glamour the old woman into forgetting about you and to tell her to be wary of strangers from now on."

"That's smart," I reply.

I invite him inside and introduce him to Anna. Then I excuse myself to pack my things in my room. Five minutes later I am done and I go out to the foyer. I look into the living room and see him kneeling in front of her whispering into her ear. She is staring blankly at the wall. When he sees me, he gets up and walks towards me. He takes my bag from my hand and leads me out the door.

"What did you say to her?"

"Just what I had mentioned earlier. I also told her to sell her business and move away to be near her sister in the east. She does not have very much time on this earth."

I look up at him as we walk, "She is dying? How do you know that?"

"I can sense the life force leaving her body," he says looking intensely into my eyes.

I don't know how to respond so I say nothing.

We walk for about twenty minutes until we reach a dark green SUV.

"This is your car?" I ask.

"Yes for now. I got this three days ago because I wanted you to be comfortable." He goes to the back and opens the trunk. In it there are boxes of what looks to be food and other supplies.

"Wait a minute, you mean you got all of this three days ago for me? You knew that I would go with you?" I say astounded.

He throws my bag in the trunk as well and closes it. "Yes this is all for you. I don't normally drive when I travel. To be honest I did not know if you would come with me, but I wanted to be prepared if you did."

I say nothing again. He opens the passenger door for me and soon we drive off.

He doesn't tell me where we are heading and I don't ask, but we take the highway that leads to the mountains. After three hours of driving, he turns off onto a dirt road. A half hour later I drift off to sleep.

"Sookie you must wake," he whispers to me.

I slowly open my eyes and look ahead. It is pitch black outside. "Are we there?" I ask him.

"Not yet, I will need to fly with you the rest of the way." He gets out of the car and goes to the back. He opens the trunk and takes out a few of the stuff. He then comes to my door, opens it and I get out. He has my bag and some other items on his back.

"Wrap this around you," he says holding up a blanket. I take it from him and wrap it around my body.

"I will need to hold you," he says. I nod and he sweeps me up into his arms. I gasp feeling intensely aware of the sudden close contact. "Try not to look down. I will fly at a moderate speed."

He takes flight and I close my eyes. I wrap my arms around his neck. We fly for about ten minutes until I get become curious. I open my eyes to look around and also to look downwards. We are very high up.

"Eeek!" I shriek, holding onto him even more tighter. I bury my face against his neck, unintentionally breathing in his wonderful scent but somehow it soothes me.

"I take it your bonded never took you out flying?" he says amused.

"No he didn't. I was always afraid of heights ever since the time we pummelled from high up in a hotel to the ground in a coffin," I mumble. He chuckles again and I can feel the vibration in his chest. I absentmindedly twirl a few stands of his dark wavy hair between my fingers.

We fly in the air for about two hours until he lands on the ground. "You can open your eyes," he tells me as he sets me down onto my feet.

I blink a few times and look around me. It is still dark and there is a dark structure in front of me. He opens the door and asks me to come inside. Suddenly he lights up a couple of candles using his power. I look around the simple one room cabin.

"Is this where you live?" I ask him.

"Yes and no. This is one of the many structures that I have built for myself in different parts of the world. I built this one about sixty years ago. I haven't been here in over twenty four years," he says as he puts down my bag and the other parcels.

"Where abouts are we?"

"Somewhere between Alberta and British Columbia," he responds. "We are completely inaccessible. Stay here I will back in a few minutes. I am going to scan the area." In a flash he is gone. I stand and continue to look around the room.

There is a wood stove in one corner of the log cabin. There is also a fireplace and a queen sized bed along the wall. There is also a brown leather couch and a rug made of bear skin on the floor in the centre. On one side of the room there is a large bathtub and some cupboards. There is no kitchen or bathroom facilities which does not surprise me but there is a wooden table and chairs that look to have been hand-made. On the walls there is one tiny window, a couple of tapestries, shelves full of books and hand-drawn maps. There are also a few sketches of a lake and other wild animals.

"We are alone except for a few animals around us," he says standing by the doorway with a large container full of water in his arms.

"Did you draw those?" I ask him pointing to the maps and drawings.

"Yes, drawing is one of the few things that pleases me."

He picks up one of the plastic parcels and rips it open. Inside of it there are some sheets, pillow and a comforter. He drops it on the bed.

"I will be back in a few hours. I am going to hide the vehicle and bring up the rest of the supplies. There is some food in that one package," pointing to the floor, "and you now have some fresh lake water in the barrel."

He vanishes from the room, leaving me standing there alone. I go to the door and look around outside. It is still very dark, with the moon being covered by clouds. I close the door and light up a few more candles that I find from one of the cupboards. I tidy up by dusting and wiping the surfaces using a wet rag. I also make the bed. Once I am done I sit by one of the candles to read a book I found from the wall shelf.

A while later he comes back carrying the rest of the supplies. He puts them all on the floor.

"I have brought you some supplies and more food. You can use the coleman stove to cook your food. I also brought you some pots, pans, dishes and cutlery. As you can see I do not have any indoor washroom facilities but you can use that large basin by the bathtub. There is a hot springs nearby that I will show you tomorrow where you can bathe during the daytime. You can also use the bathtub if you wish; I can heat up water for you."

"Thank you," I say genuinely. "All of this stuff you have brought me is amazing. This cabin is wonderful."

"There is no need to thank me," he says smiling. "I am glad that you feel comfortable here. I was not sure how you would react when you found out that my home does not have modern facilities."

I laugh a little. "You thought I wouldn't be able to 'rough it' without an indoor bathroom and electricity?"

He laughs too, "Yes."

We sit down and talk a little bit about the surrounding area. He tells me not to go too far during the day because I could get lost or run into wildlife. He also tells me about the lake and says that he will show me it one of these nights. By the time we finish talking it is starting to lighter outside.

He looks through the small window, "It is almost dawn and I must rest soon."

"Are you going to sleep in here?" I ask him. I look at the only bed in the cabin and wonder if I'll be sharing it with him or sleeping on the couch.

Almost knowing what I'm thinking, he smiles at me, "I will be resting underground. I have an underground lair nearby."

"Oh," I say, my face turning a little red.

"You must be very tired. I will leave you so that you may sleep," he says.

"Okay," I answer, "Goodnight Marius," I tell him as he opens the door.

"Goodnight Sookie."

He leaves me alone in the cabin. I take my nightgown from my bag and put it on. I climb into bed, pulling the covers over me and I fall asleep thinking about what tomorrow could bring.

**A/N: Don't worry I haven't forgotten about Eric! LOL His POV will be the next chapter. **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I read in one of the reviews that the author doesn't intend to have Sookie live happily ever after with Eric which is what I kind of figured. When you read the books, it's like Sookie is telling a story from her youth and she is an old lady right now LOL. Like that one moment where she is at the Rhodes dance and sees the pros dancing and says "to this day I can't remember what they danced to". I also think she will end up with Sam in the final book because there were moments in the books with Sam that makes you think why the author put that in. But I could be wrong and that won't be happening in my story LOL Oh yeah sorry for the short length of this chapter after weeks of not updating. I've only had the chance to write a little bit every now and then. Vacation, work, and real life have taken up my time. My outline was longer and I cut out a lot of parts that I had planned to write. I wanted to update now instead of taking even longer. **

**Eric's POV:**

The past two and a half months have been the most agonizing period in my long life. I have been apart from my bonded for too long. Being apart from her for so long has been the hardest thing I have experienced in centuries. Not knowing whether or not she is safe and in good health is torture. In order to help relieve the pain I try to relive the wonderful moments with Sookie but my mind always goes back to our last moment together which resulted in me walking out on her. I have never been one to live with regret but now it is a burden that is weighing heavily on my shoulders. I have reread her note over and over again that the paper is almost tattered. I clutch in my hand the engagement ring that she left behind. She has kept the bond closed but I always reach out to her with my end in the hope that she will respond.

When she ran away back to America I left France immediately and headed straight to New York aboard my plane. During the flight I did not give myself the time to think about why she left me. My main objective was just to get her back then deal with everything else afterwards. I had initially thought that she would return to Louisiana but to my surprise she remained in New York. My sources had told me that she had a plane ticket to Louisiana that was paid for with cash. I checked her bank transactions and to my surprise she had not touched any money in our account for some time. This only added to my suspicions.

I knew who she would go to in New York; Amelia. When we landed I immediately went to her apartment. I pounded on her door for several minutes until I ordered the were guards to break in. Needless to say, she was not in there. The weres sensed the faint smell of Sookie's scent along with the witch's. They found a short note on her computer desk addressed to me. She wrote that she was not returning to her apartment anytime soon because she knew how relentless I was. She also wrote that she knew what I had done to Sookie and that Sookie had left on her own. She also claimed that she did not know where she went. I knew that if the witch was writing the truth then Sookie would find other means of transportation to leave the city. Unfortunately it was nearing dawn and I had no other choice but to seek shelter. I told the weres to scour the city to look for her or the witch in case they were still here. The next evening we went to the train station first but found no information. Then we went to the bus station and found out that Sookie had purchased a ticket to Toronto, Canada. I ordered the weres to go to Toronto straight away. I had also ordered Pam and a few of my underlings to fly to Toronto to aid them. I wanted to stay in the city for an extra day in order to ask my old friend the king of New York for help in my search.

In Toronto we searched the whole city but found no trace of her. Like New York, it was an almost impossible task to find her in such a populated area. Sookie was an intelligent woman; she was capable of hiding her tracks very well. I also could not get more outside help to aid us. In our world, she was valuable not only for her telepathy, but also for her distinct blood. Many would try to use her for various reasons if she was found. I needed to have the satisfaction of knowing that the least amount of vampires and supes knew that she was out there alone without my protection.

For two weeks we searched Toronto and the surrounding area before I had to return to Louisiana because I was neglecting my duties as king. I needed to maintain a facade that everything was fine. I could not allow anyone to suspect that she was missing. I ordered my underlings and the weres to remain in Canada to continue the search. In Louisiana I also asked Alcide to help the other weres with the search. Naturally he wanted to know why Sookie ran away but I refused to tell him anything.

Since she was gone much longer than I expected, I slowly came to grips to ponder that question as to why she left me. I knew that the circumstances of my unfortunate marriage were not enough for her to leave as she had stayed with me even after the marriage. I also did not think that our argument was also the reason. The only thing that I could fathom was that she must have somehow found out about my indiscretion. The question was how.

My only suspect was Rosamund. But how would Sookie have found out from her was a question that perplexed me. Were there hidden cameras in the room? Did she send Sookie pictures or a tape? If so, how would it have gotten past the guards and security? Was she there that night at the castle? I know that Sookie would not converse with Rosamund under any circumstance. I also know that she would not go anywhere willingly with another vampire whom I did not trust. Unfortunately I could not ask Rosamund. If I asked her questions then she would know for sure that Sookie was gone if she did not already know. She has not given me any indication that she knows but if... when I find out that she had something to do with why Sookie ran away, I will kill her. I will torture her for days till she can no longer remember anything but pain. She will beg me to end her existence.

I sit in my office waiting for the daily report from Herveaux. He has been in Canada with the other weres and Sookie's bodyguards since I had asked him for his help. They had spent some time looking in the east now they were making their way west.

I take a sip of the bottle of synthetic blood. During the first month of Sookie's disappearance, synthetic blood was all I consumed. I refused to drink from humans but soon I started to feel weaker due to lack of human blood. It was only after Pam had persuaded me that I started to drink again from humans, but only from male donors.

I go over some work when suddenly the phone rings. I quickly answer it.

"Northman," I say.

"Hello Eric," Rosamund purrs.

I growl. This is the first time since France that I have talked to her. "What do you want?" I say fiercely.

"I was just wondering what you have been doing. We haven't talked for awhile since you left so quickly. I missed you," she says.

"Well I don't. I'm expecting another call," I slam the telephone down. I close my eyes and try to reach out to Sookie once again.

**Rosamund's POV:**

I close my cell phone and place it on the coffee table and lie back again. I sigh in frustration.

"I take it your conversation with your husband did not go so well?" my child asks me.

I get up feeling irritated and slap him hard on his face causing him to bleed.

"If you had done what you were supposed to do, then we wouldn't be in this situation," I seethe.

"I did what you asked me to. I became her friend and got her to leave Northman. It's not my fault that she didn't get on the plane to New Orleans like she was supposed to." Felipe was to have taken her once she had reached New Orleans. It was the plan that she would not repel him when he appealed to her in her weak heartbroken state.

I watch the slight cut on Etienne's beautiful face disappear. "Do you think he has found her yet?" he asks.

"No," I respond. "Eric's weres and vampires are still somewhere in Canada looking for her. He sounded more irritable than usual on the phone as well. We're lucky that he hasn't found her yet before we have. If he finds her first then we will be in even more trouble with Felipe."

I think back to the deal that I had made with De Castro months earlier. I had brokered a deal with him that he would arrange for me to marry Eric. In exchange I would help him get Eric's telepath without any repercussions for him with the Council. Felipe would give Eric Louisiana as well. I thought it was a heavy price that Felipe was paying for only a young human woman. Sure she was a telepath and she smelled fantastic, but that was all. She was naive and not very bright. She had put a great deal of trust in my Etienne even though she barely knew him. In my opinion I was getting the better end of the deal; Eric, the only man I have every truly loved. When I had first heard that he had bonded and married a human, I went ballistic. I had long ago made the mistake of marrying Ulric. Part of the reason I made that mistake was to make Eric jealous. I had hoped that he would come back to me and be my lover once again. He did come back to me eventually but only for dalliances. I wanted him to come back to me for the long term. I knew that Eric in time would know how much I loved him and he would realise that I was the only woman for him. The only woman who truly understood him and accept him for who he was. He would realise that he loved me just as much. He would forget the human telepath in time.

My phone rings again and I pick it up.

"What!" I yell.

"Tsk, tsk," the caller says. "You need to improve your phone manners," Felipe says with his heavy accent.

"Felipe," I say cheerfully, "I apologise for my outburst. I thought you were someone else."

"Were you hoping it was one of the bounty hunters we hired?"

I stay briefly silent. "Yes. Have you heard from them?"

"No I haven't. They have not called in for two days for an update on their progress."

"Damn," I mutter. Leo and Colin Murphy were two of the most extremely skilled bounty hunters in the world and therefore expensive. My initial plan was to hire numerous amounts of vampires and supes to find her quickly but Felipe only wanted a few people on the case. He said it was best that only a few knew that she was out there without vampire protection because there would others out there looking to claim her. The bounty hunters had told us several days earlier that they may have found a lead. They were somewhere in western Canada.

"Have you tried to call them?" I ask.

"Of course I have tried to contact them," he says sternly.

"Where were they heading to last?"

"Somewhere in Alberta."

I stay silent deliberating on what the next course of action should be.

"I will send Etienne to Canada right away," I respond.

"I hope for your sake that he finds out what happened to them and that we find her before Northman does. I have kept my end of the bargain Rosamund. You have done nothing but displease me. If I don't have her soon then not only your livelihood is at stake but your existence as well."

I tremble a little bit, "I understand Felipe. We will find her before Eric does."

"You better," he says before hanging up.

I look at Etienne. "You will leave tonight and not come back until she is in the hands of Felipe."


	17. Chapter 17

**Sookies POV: 3 weeks later**

_The pain is excruciating as Thing One and Thing Two bite into my flesh. After they have grown tired of doing that they start carving into my skin with knives. They laugh at my pain. 'You are going to die' they keep telling me. I close my eyes hoping that they were right, at this point I welcomed death. _

"_Lover did you really think you could run away from me," a familiar voice whispers into my ear. Oh god! It's Eric and he's come to save me. _

_I open my eyes and am bewildered. Eric is staring down at me with a malevolent smile on his face. _

"_Help me," I cry out to him. "It hurts so much."_

"_I will help you but first my wife is hungry. I promised her fairy blood," he says darkly._

_I tilt my head slightly. My eyesight is a little blurry but it looked like Thing Two was coming back. _

"_Eric watch out," I croak. But instead he moves aside for her. I regain focus and see that it is Rosamund, not Thing Two. I look up towards Eric and see the knife that Thing One was using in his hand. They had morphed into the evil fairies._

"_Please don't," I cry out. Take me away, take me away, take me away, I chant in my mind. _

"_You blood smells divine Sookie," she says to me. "Eric was right about you," she says laughing. Her fangs come down and she goes straight for my throat. _

_I feel her fangs piercing into my skin and I scream._

I scream out loud sobbing. My eyes are blurred by tears. I look around and I start to settle down knowing it was just a dream. This has been going on for weeks now. Every night I dreamt about what the fairies did to me and suddenly they become Eric and Rosamund.I spend another few minutes curling up into a ball and crying into my pillow trying to forget it.

Finally I get up. I soak a cloth in warm water and rub it around my sweat covered face and neck. I also rub my swollen eyes.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror for a few minutes. I had hoped by now that being here would have improved me but it didn't. Instead I just kept on getting worse and worse.

I have been here for three weeks with a handsome ancient vampire who was virtually a stranger. But he was kind and respectful. He kept his word; he never touched me or asked to drink from me. He was also very good company. He began to teach me how to draw. We talked about mundane things and sometimes told me stories of his journeys. I also shared with him aspects of my life. I told him about Gran and Jason and what it was like growing up. I never spoke about Eric. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say. It was comforting being with him but it was when he retired during the day that my depression set in.

The emptiness and sadness in my heart could never die down. I thought about Eric constantly and missed him greatly.

It was only when Marius arose that I was able to push aside my feelings. He had only left once during these past weeks and I assume it was in order to feed. He also brought back more supplies and food for me. He surprised me with a wrapped gift. I opened it and it was board games, monopoly and scrabble. He had never played them before so I spent some time teaching him how. But soon he mastered those games and constantly beat me. It didn't upset me though, I enjoyed having his company.

During the day when I managed to leave the cabin, I would soak in the hot springs that he showed me. I took walks to the glacier lake that he had mentioned the first night.

Today I decide to go for a walk to the lake. I put my clothes on and twenty minutes later I end up at the pristine lake.

I sit on a huge rock and look at the scenery. I am unable to enjoy it as my thoughts of Eric cloud my mind again and I begin to cry.

"Why did you do this to us?" I cry out. I can hear a faint echo of my voice. I stay at the lake for several hours until I get hunger pangs.

I slowly walk back to the cabin and I make myself a small meal. Afterwards I tidy up the cabin and lie down on the couch to read a book.

Time goes by and I don't notice that it is already dark. Marius walks in and smiles at me looking as gorgeous as ever. He is wearing a black v-neck sweater and blue jeans. I give him a weak smile back and say hi.

His expression changes to concern as he looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes.

I try to look cheerful to not worry him but he still looks concerned.

"Can I hold your hands?" he asks me. He kneels down in front of me as I sit up on the couch.

I look at him surprised but I hold out my hand for him. He slowly rubs my hands with his. It dawns on me that this is the first time since he brought me here that he has touched me. I feel a jolt of electricity as he rubs my skin.

"Your hands are cold," he comments as he looks down at our adjoined hands.

"Oh, it must have been from being outside earlier," I say weakly.

He looks up at me and traces his thumb under my eye, "You were crying again."

My first instinct is to deny it, but a tear slips out and lands on his thumb. He rubs it between his fingers.

I look down. "Don't worry I'll be okay. I just need more time," I lament trying to reassure him. Some more tears fall from my eyes.

"Sookie," he says holding my hands again. "I need you to look at me," he says gently.

I sniffle and raise my head to look at him.

He stares into my eyes for a long time. He is looking like he is deliberating internally about something. Finally after three or four minutes he speaks. "I want to give you my blood."

My eyes widen as I look at him feeling shocked. That was not what I was expecting him to say. "Why?" I blurt out. "I'm not hurt or anything like that."

He rubs my hands again. "You are dying Sookie."

I stare at him with a lost look in my eyes unable to comprehend what he has just said. I don't feel physically unwell or feel any pain. The last time I went to a doctor was six months ago for a complete physical and I was declared healthy as a horse. I may have lost a few pounds these past months but that has been due to my stressful situation. Did he mean the fact that I was mortal and was going to die eventually?

Obviously aware that I am confused he speaks again. "You are dying of a broken heart. I can feel your life force leaving your body slowly."

How do you respond to that? "Oh," is all I say looking down to the floor. "I didn't know that that was possible," I whisper.

"Death is slowly claiming you. It may take you within a year," he says gently.

"Could it be due to the bond?" I ask despondently.

"I do not know. I do not know much about bonds between humans and vampires. But I think it may have more to do with what you feel for Northman and the heartache he has caused you."

My mind continues to reel. "How would drinking your blood help me? I thought vampire blood only cured physical ailments," I say.

"Yes it does," he responds, "But mine is more special."

"You have special blood," I state still feeling bewildered with what he has just told me.

"Yes, when my maker tasted my blood for the first time, she said it tasted different. That there were elements in my blood that no other human or vampire she knew had. Before she found me she had been walking the earth for about four years, ready to meet her final death, because she had lost her first child and her maker in a battle. When she drank my blood, she said that it felt like the sadness and turmoil had been lifted from her heart and soul. When I had made my own child, Marten was living in despair. He was mistreated severely by his family and it would have scarred him for life. Though he possessed strength and agility, he was sad and angry and only felt hatred in his heart. But I knew that was not how he truly was. They had broken him. When I gave him my blood, he said it was like the burden and torment was gone."

I take in his story. A tear comes down my cheek. "So if I drink your blood, I will be cured of my broken heart?"

"No, it will mend the damages. You will not forget what has happened to you, you will carry it for the rest of your life. Drinking my blood will make the mental anguish bearable to endure and will help you to move on."

I take a few minutes to think about what he has just said. I go over the facts. I'm basically dying right now, literally of a broken heart. Cheesy love songs about broken hearts run through my mind. I remember when I used to laugh at the cheesy lyrics, now it was my reality. If I don't drink his blood then I will die. It would essentially be committing suicide since I now know that I am dying. I don't think he is lying. After all who would be cruel enough to say something like that to someone? Even though I have known him for a short time I doubt that he is that malicious. Besides if I truly wanted to find out then I could wait a year from now to see if he was right. But obviously that would be a stupid move on my part.

"I don't offer my blood to just anyone Sookie. Only two people have tasted my blood: my maker and my son," he comments as he watches me.

"Buy why are you offering it to me? I'm nobody, we just met." I ask.

He looks away briefly, then gazes into my eyes again, "Like I have told you before, I believe that you are worth protecting. And also..." he says his voice drifting off thinking of some words to say, "It would hurt me greatly if you died this way."

I stare at my hands. "Could I think about it for a few minutes?" I ask.

"Of course," he says rising up to his feet. "I will be back in awhile." He leaves the cabin.

I get up from the couch and walk around the room. He wants me to drink his blood because I am dying. I think about the consequences. He would be able to sense my emotions and be able to track me. I don't know if I would be able to shut him out like I could with Eric. But then again he has not drunk my blood so how connected could we get? Would it effect the bond I had with Eric? Why was I feeling worried about whether or not it would tamper with the bond? I didn't want to go back to Eric. This was a leap of faith. I hear the door creaking open.

He walks up to me and I place my hands on his chest.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply preparing my answer. "Yes," I tell him.

He clasps my hands in his and leads me back to the couch and sits down. He opens his legs and motions for me to sit between them. I hesitate briefly but I sit down in front of him and lean back against his chest stiffly. Apart from the flying experience, it is a strange sensation to be so physically close to someone again after months of keeping people at arms length.

"Are you ready?" he asks me.

I turn my head slightly and nod.

He raises his wrist to his mouth and a second later I hear a crunching sound. In a quick motion he brings his wrist to my mouth and I latch on.

I begin sucking and soon the blood starts to flow in my mouth. It is an indescribable feeling as I instantly start to feel and taste his blood. It is almost as though I can feel the magic and power of his blood flowing through my entire body. The taste is different as well. While Eric's blood tasted sweet and spicy to me, the taste of his was tenfold to that of Eric's. I feel as though I am in a delightful euphoric state of mind as I drink in the blood from his wrist.

I continue to suck on his wrist unaware that the wound has already closed. It is only when he tries to move his wrist away that I gradually become aware of my surroundings again. I relax against him breathing in deeply with a lazy smile on my face as he rubs his hands along my arms.

"That was amazing," I say looking over my shoulder. Amazing in a non-sexual way. It was unlike my blood exchanges with Eric when it always turned sexual during and afterwards.

"I didn't feel anything inappropriate..." I say suddenly blushing. I also realize that I don't feel a large bulge behind my butt. Maybe he didn't care for me that way or he didn't find me attractive enough to get him aroused. I start to feel disappointed.

"I tapered those feelings back," he says.

"You can do that?" I ask.

"Yes, unlike other vampires I can control my emotions quite easily and the emotions of others if I choose to. I didn't suppress those feelings because I am not attracted to you, quite the contrary. I knew that you would regret your actions if anything sexual occurred between us."

I sit up and position myself on the couch to face him. He was right. Although I thought he was probably one of the two hottest guys on the planet I was nowhere near ready to be intimate with anyone. I also take in the new information that he has just supplied about himself. _Wait did he just say he was attracted to me?_

"Have you ever influenced my emotions before?" I ask thinking back to our first encounter on a dance floor.

"No, this was the first time. And I promise that I will not attempt to do so in the future," he tells me.

I breathe in a sigh of relief. "That's good to know," I say smiling at him. Although he probably wouldn't need to influence my emotions if he wanted me to desire him. He oozed sensuality.

"How do you feel?" he asks looking at me curiously.

"I feel fantastic, like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders," I respond. "You can't sense my emotions?"

"I can, but I wanted to hear it from you," he says to me smiling.

I smile back and then I look around the room feeling more intensely aware of our surroundings. I can hear the crackling of the wood more sharply burning in the fireplace. I can even hear the sounds of crickets and the steady stream of water trickling from the hot springs. My sense of smell is even heightened. I can smell the pine and fresh air from outside and the food that I had cooked hours earlier. For months I felt like there was a dark cloud over my head threatening to consume me, now my mind felt more freer and clearer.

"Would you like to go on a short trip with me? It is a wonderful evening and the sky is very clear tonight." he says.

I turn to look back at him. "Is it far?"

"No not very far. I would have to fly you there," he responds.

I think about it for a moment. Due to my fear of heights I would have said no, but now the idea of being far up from the ground didn't bother me. I wonder if I was cured of my fears as well. "Okay," I answer.

He tells me to put on something warm and he grabs the same blanket I used during the first time. Afterwards we head outside. For a June evening the weather is cool. I wrap the blanket around my body and he picks me up.

We ascend into the sky and I look around dazzled by the dark blue sky and the twinkling stars. The moon is shining down onto the acres of large trees and tall mountains. We fly for about ten minutes until we reach a clear area of just tall green grass. We land on a spot where the grass appears to have been cut.

"Marius, did you cut the grass here?" I ask.

"Yes. I knew there would be a time when I would bring you here," he says, his blue eyes twinkling in the night.

"You're always so sure of yourself," I tease laughing lightly.

He sets the blanket on the ground and invites me to sit down beside him. I look around. The view is absolutely breathtaking. I can clearly see the snowy mountain peaks in the background and our glacier lake surrounded by plush green trees.

"It's beautiful here," I tell him. I begin to feel guilty for not truly appreciating this natural beauty before.

"It is okay Sookie," he says bringing me back from my thoughts. "You were in pain."

Tears well up in my eyes. For the first time in months I shed happy tears.

"Thank you for all that you have done, for rescuing me from those vampires, for bringing me here to this place that is like heaven on earth," my voice cracking up.

He holds my hand. "Your gratitude is not necessary. It is I who should be thanking you," he looks down at our adjoined hands then into my eyes again. "For many years I have been alone with only Marten as my source for comfort and joy. I have witnessed many horrifying events and have seen the destruction that humanity have brought upon themselves to the point that I have had enough. Most humans and vampires are dark creatures with no kindness, inner strength and compassion. It is rare to meet someone with a kind gentle heart. But you possess these qualities in large abundance. I knew that from the first time I looked into your eyes. It is people like you that make living in this world bearable."

My tears continue to flow down my cheeks as I try to figure out a response. "I'll try not to disappoint you then," I lightly laugh wiping my cheeks with my free hand.

"You would never disappoint me," he says smiling. "Would you like to hear some stories?"

"Yes that would be nice," I tell him.

We lie back on the blanket, looking up at the stars. He starts pointing out certain stars and telling me a different story for each star. He tells me that this is his method on how he catalogues all the memories of his long life. He points out the star that he first saw when he was made a vampire. He tells that story. He shows me another star and tells me the tale of how he made Marten into his child. We lie there holding hands for three hours as he tells me one fascinating story after another until I begin to grow weary. He takes me back to our cabin and lays me on the bed. I can feel him removing my shoes and putting the comforter over me, then I fall asleep.

I wake up in the morning feeling a new zest for life. I go to the basin and pour some water to wash my face until something in the mirror catches me eye. I observe my hair which now seems more fuller and shinier than before. I look at my eyes which are more sparkly and vibrant. There are no longer dark circles underneath my eyes. My skin is glowing. I lean in closer and notice that the creases and the few aging spots on my face from months of stress and agony have now disappeared. I examine my body. Surprisingly my old scars that Eric's blood could not heal have gone away. Marius' blood not only healed me emotionally but also physically.

I wash my face and start on breakfast. As I cook scrambled eggs I start to think back to everything that has happened with Eric. Marius was right, those painful memories were still there resting in my mind but this time as I think back, the pain is no longer overwhelming. True I can still sense the pain but it was like I had made peace with it. That I was no longer going to let it defeat me. Would I be able to forgive Eric for what he did? Yes but the trust and deep love that I felt for him was gone. I still loved him but not with the same intense passion that I had felt before. He had been my whole world. I had let my entire existence and happiness revolve around him. As I thought about it more, I was almost glad that this happened. If it did not then my life would continue to have revolved only around him. My growing dependency upon him would have continued. I also realize that I would have continued to become even more miserable with him because of his marriage despite all my internal rationalizing that we could get through it.

I also wanted him to be happy. I still felt upset that he cheated on me but if being with other women was what he wanted then for some crazy reason I hoped that was what he had. I had no doubt that he loved me but I was denying him from being his true self. If he wanted me with him and accept what he was doing then that was something I could not do. I still wanted complete love and devotion, something that he was apparently not capable of giving me.

I eat my breakfast quietly having a new outlook on life and determination. I wasn't going to wallow in self-pity anymore; I was going to enjoy all that life had to offer even though I couldn't go home just yet. It would also be difficult for me to live my life when there were constantly vampires after me which was another reason why I didn't mind being here. Here I had found paradise.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: What is up with the fanfiction website? I've been getting error messages lately when I try to go into the site. Hopefully they will fix the problems. But anyway here is the latest chapter. The next chapter will be Eric's POV. Oh yeah I 'borrowed' Marius' dialogue line after he kills the buck from the movie Last of the Mohicans (a good movie by the way)**

**Sookie's POV:**

A month and a half had passed since the night Marius gave me his blood. That time I had made a promise to myself that I would enjoy life and so far I have kept it. I feel fitter and healthier than before. I had started running every day and lifting weights (mainly logs and large rocks) in order to build up my physical strength. I have even been smiling a lot more thanks to my new positive attitude. I no longer have bad dreams that used to haunt me at night.

But despite all these changes I still feel an emptiness in my heart. I miss my friends and family in Louisiana. I miss my nephew. I can only imagine all the ways that he has grown and it grieves me that I have missed out on those moments. I also still miss Eric. I miss the intimacy and the closeness that we shared. But I know I am not ready to go back to him, if ever.

With everything else, my life here to a certain extent has been filled with contentment and happiness. Almost every night Marius and I would go to our special spot. He would tell me another story that went along with a star from the night sky. I absolutely loved listening to those fascinating stories of his past. He would also take me to other gorgeous places in the Canadian Rockies. He would tell me about the different types of trees and which plants were edible and their medicinal uses. On the nights that it rained we usually just stayed in our cabin and played board games. He would also teach me words and phrases from his ancient dialect. Some nights we would just sit in our cabin and do our own individual tasks. I would read a book and he would sketch on his note pad. He never showed me what he was drawing but sometimes I would catch him looking at me and sketching. I hoped that one day he would show me.

He also went hunting one time. I was surprised one evening when he came in holding pieces of cut meat. The meat came from the indigenous wild animals around the area. He had cut the meat and stored the majority of it on high peaks before bringing back a few pieces to the cabin. I was so impressed that I asked him if he could take me the next time he went hunting and today was that day.

I wait in the cabin for him to come pick me up to go for our hunting excursion. It is already after dark but he hasn't come in yet. Usually he scans the surrounding area after he rises. He patrols to detect any new scents of humans or other supes and animals. I pass the time by doodling on my notepad.

As I sit on the couch and draw, Marius walks in. He is wearing his usual t-shirt and jeans.

"Hi" I say smiling.

"Hello," he says. "Are you ready?"

"You betcha. Where abouts are we goin' hunting?" I ask. I get up and put on my shoes and coat.

"Not far, I detected some scents and movement not far from here," he says as we make our way outside. I see a spear attached to his back. He lifts me up into his arms and flies slowly over the forest closely paying attention to the sounds and movement on the ground. Finally he sets us down near a small river stream in the forest.

"Wait here," he whispers in my ear. In a flash he is gone. I stand there in the darkness with just the moon providing illumination. The small stream glistens with the light of the moon shining upon it.

I stand there for a few minutes quietly listening for any sounds or movement. I start to wonder if I was supposed to help him with anything.

A little while later an animal runs across the stream and stops. I freeze and hold in my breath.

A few seconds later Marius shows up and stands by some rocks. I watch as he and the young buck exchange glances as though each were waiting for the other to make the first move. The young buck makes the first move by trying to run away but Marius runs towards him at human speed with the spear in his hands and he lunges it into the body of the animal. It collapses along the shoreline. The animal is still breathing so he snaps its neck, killing it instantly.

He motions to me to come closer.

He crouches down to the dead animal and runs his hand over the face and neck.

"I am sorry for killing you brother," he says. "But we do honour your courage, speed, and strength."

He bows his head and closes his eyes murmuring words from another language.

I bow my head as well.

"I will take you home now," he says.

He drops me off at the cabin and goes back to retrieve the carcass.

I light up a couple of oil lanterns and bring them outside to watch him skin the animal. A few minutes later he returns. He lays out the animal on the ground and pulls out a pocketknife from the back of his jeans.

"You should probably take your shirt off," I suddenly blurt out as he is about to cut. He looks up at me and I start to blush. "Ummm well, you know... you don't wanna get blood on your shirt and jeans. But you don't have to take off your jeans too, I mean you can take off anything you want of course. It's up to you," I stammer, my face turning bright red. I let out a groan and fight the strong urge to run inside and put my head under my blanket. _Did you really just say that?_

I cover my face with my hands. All of a sudden he laughs.

"There's no need to feel embarrassed Sookie," he says. "I think I will take your advice."

I remove my hands from my face at the same time he strips off his shirt. _Oh. My. God. _My jaw drops as I take in his upper body. I stare at his toned and muscular biceps, stomach and chest. He doesn't have any chest hair. It looks so smooth that it feels like my hands have a mind of its own and wants to caress his chest. My eyes wander to the lines on his stomach. Rather than a six-pack, this man has an eight-pack. He is not overly muscular but is rather similar to the body shape of Eric. Ever since our first meeting I have often at times wondered how his bare body looks like. And he does not disappoint. My face feels like it's burning at this point.

He catches me gawking at him.

"Sorry!" I yell out. I turn my head right away and stare at some dark trees.

He laughs lightly at me again. "It's fine Sookie. Like I said, there's no need to feel embarrassed. Would you like me to put my shirt on again?"

"No that's okay, it was just not very polite of me to stare," I tell him. "I'm an adult, you're an adult. We're both mature grown people." I let out a deep breath and turn back to face him.

He is crouching over the animal and begins cutting through the stomach area. I watch as he carefully cuts off the hide. He starts cutting the meat out from various parts. I go into the cabin to retrieve a large bowl where he could put the meat. Forty-five minutes later he is done.

"Wow that's a lot of meat. It's safe to say that I won't be starving anytime soon," I say lightly.

"Yes you will have enough to eat for awhile. I will leave some here and take the rest up to a mountain peak to freeze."

I watch as he puts the meat in a container. He gathers the hide and what's left of the carcass and launches himself up in the air.

I go back into the cabin and bring out the portable camping stove that he had bought me several weeks earlier. I put some fresh water into a pot so that I can boil some potatoes and carrots. I also bring out the colman stove in order to cook the meat.

I cut the meat in strips and start cooking it in the skillet, adding some onions.

About twenty-five minutes later Marius returns.

"Hey," I greet him. I look at his chest which a now a little dirty and bloody.

"I am going to go and wash off the dirt and blood," he says. "I will be back soon."

Nodding, I continue to cook my dinner.

As I finish cooking my food, he returns. He is wearing clean clothes and has wet hair. He must have washed up at the springs.

I put my food on my plate and he offers to carry it inside. I carry in the oil lanterns and he also brings in the stoves.

"Did you get a drink for yourself?" I ask him as I am about to take a bite. Marius usually stores his TrueBlood at the springs in order to keep it warm.

He pulls out a bottle from his back pocket and sets it on the table, taking the other chair.

I giggle. "You carry a lot of things in your back pockets. How do you make room for all of it?"

"It's a secret trick," he says amusingly. "After living for hundreds of years with nothing but the things on your back, you learn to adjust."

I smile back at him and continue eating. I devour every morsel from my plate and afterwards I sigh from consuming a delicious meal.

"Thank you for the food Marius," I say gratefully. "Not just for the meat, but for the other foods that you bring me."

"It is no problem. I have not hunted for a very long time because I had no reason to before. I missed it," he says smiling. "May we can go fishing some time. That is something else that I have not done in a very long time."

I smile and nod back. "That would be terrific. So what other skills do you have besides hunting and setting vampires on fire?" I ask humorously pushing aside my plate.

He laughs. "I can handle a sword sufficiently," he says. "I learned to fight with swords in Japan about 1600 hundred years ago."

I look at him amazed. "Really? You didn't learn it when you were human?" I ask.

"Yes. My role in my village was to only be a hunter and provide nourishment for the people. I learned how to fight with a sword from a great master. He knew what I was as his own father had been turned years prior. He offered to teach me as long as I avenged his father's death. Another vampire had killed his father. As my sword skills grew I felt that I was ready to face that vampire. Unfortunately I did not know that he was at the time the best sword fighter in the known world."

I flinch and he smiles at that. "What happened?" I ask curiously.

"Well I went to go find him and we fought. He was much too strong and skilled for me. He sliced my right hand off."

I gasp putting my hand over my mouth.

"Rather than finishing me off he let his pride take over. He watched and laughed at me as I laid on the ground in pain. It was that moment I had wished that lightning would strike him down. I concentrated on that thought and suddenly he burst into flames. That was how I discovered that power within me."

I stare at him feeling shocked and look at his hand. He holds it up in front of me.

"See? Good as new. You probably have heard that vampire's limbs grow back but it is very painful. Over the years I have enhanced my sword skills so that the next time I would defeat my foe in that way."

"Wow," I reply. I start thinking about all the times that I had been attacked in the past several years. I wonder if I could learn how to fight with a sword. "Do you think...," I begin to hesitate before I finish my sentence, "Do you think you could teach me? I mean just the basics, so I can learn how to defend myself?"

"Yes," he says with a bright smile. "I would enjoy teaching you how to fight. I have not taught anyone since my son."

"That's great!" I exclaim cheerfully.

"We can start the night after tomorrow. I have to go to one of the towns in order to feed and to bring you some more basic food and other supplies."

"Oh," I reply. My mood suddenly drops a little. A slight tinge of jealousy creeps up in me as I start to imagine him feeding from a woman or several women for that matter. I wonder if he will have sex with them. Not that I had any claim over him. It is likely that he probably will. Lord knows he wasn't getting any here in the middle of nowhere with just me. My jealousy rises up a little more as I think of him with another woman. _Couldn't he just keep on sticking to TrueBlood? _I start the internal debate of whether or not I should offer him my blood.

I am so lost in my thoughts that I don't notice him watching me.

"I am only going to feed and get you more things that you need," he says reassuringly. _Oh crap, _I think to myself. He must have felt my jealousy. I blush a little.

We finish our evening by going up to our special spot for a few hours. Afterwards he brings me back and I head into the cabin to sleep.

I wake up the next day and do my daily morning routine of a run and breakfast. I also do my household chores. I tidy up the cabin, wash the dishes and take the laundry to the lake to wash my clothes and Marius'. I offered to do his laundry for him since he did a lot of chores for me like bringing in fresh water and food. After washing our clothes, I take them back to the cabin and hang them on the clothesline that he made. Next I take a bath at the hot springs to wash away the sweat and dirt. I spend the rest of day sketching and reading.

Night finally comes and Marius walks into the cabin.

"Good evening," he greets me.

"Hi," I say warmly.

"I just wanted to let you know that I am leaving now and will be gone for several hours. I will probably be back after you have gone to sleep."

"Alright," I say getting up from my chair to stand before him. We say goodbye and I give him a hug and he kisses me on the forehead.

Suddenly I find myself truly alone. I try to spend the rest of the evening reading but am unable to concentrate. I try to do other things but my thoughts continue to drift back to him, missing his presence.

After a lonely night, I fall asleep several hours later in my bed with the fire still going.

As I dream I hear a slight creaking noise and the sound pulls me from my slumber. My eyes flutter open as I see Marius standing by the table putting some bags on it.

"Good Morning," I say with a yawn.

He looks towards me. "I'm sorry for waking you," he says, "Your hearing is still sensitive to sound."

"That's alright," I tell him as I sit up in the bed. "It's usually the sound of birds in the morning that wakes me up."

I pat the side of the bed to offer him a seat. He comes holding a small little black box.

"Here, I bought this for you," he says handing me the tiny box.

Smiling, I open it; it's a simple gold chained necklace with my birthstone on it.

"It's not a real gemstone," he says, "The store that I got your food and supplies from didn't have the most impressive collection of jewellery."

"That doesn't matter to me. It's beautiful. I never really was the type of girl who enjoyed getting or even wearing expensive jewellery," I tell him. "You remembered the month of my birthday."

He nods. "Would you like me to put it on you?"

I turn my head and lift up my hair. I close my eyes enjoying the sensation of his fingers on the back of my neck. After he is done, I let go of my hair and look down at the stone.

"Thank you," I say as I turn back to face him.

I lean up to hug him and to kiss him on the cheek. He hugs me back and we linger in our embrace for a few minutes.

"I missed you," I whisper to him.

"I missed you too," he says to me. He pulls away from me slightly to look into my eyes. We gaze at each other for several more minutes. He begins to trace his thumb over my cheek. _This is it, the moment, _I think to myself feeling anxious, uncertain, and excited. But instead he breaks away from our gaze and proceeds to walk towards the door.

"I should let you sleep," he tells me as he opens the door, "We have a long night tomorrow with our first training. Good night."

"Good night," I say as he leaves. I stare at the door feeling a whirl of emotions. I like him, I like him a lot. There is no doubt about that. But I am not ready to start a new relationship, assuming that is what he wants. But I can't deny that I was hoping he would kiss me and I can't help but feel disappointed that he didn't. Awhile later sleep takes a hold of me again.

I wake up the next morning still feeling confused. Are my feelings just one of the side effects from drinking his blood? Possibly. But then again I was attracted to him the first time that I met him long before I ever drank his blood. After realizing my love for Eric I never in a million years thought that I could ever feel something faintly similar for anyone else to what I felt for Eric. Dwelling upon those thoughts I continue with my daily routine.

Time goes by and the sky gets darker. I become even more nervous knowing that Marius will be rising anytime soon. I sit on the couch, my nerves clawing at me as I pretend to look at a map. Finally he walks in and my anxiety increases. I try to calm myself knowing that he can sense my emotions.

"Good evening, it looks like it is going to be a nice night outside. The sky is clear, the air is breezy. Do you wanna start our training outside? If so, I am ready. I did some stretching earlier and I think I am ready. But of course you are the judge of that of whether or not I am ready..." I continue to blabber on and on speaking rapidly.

He interrupts me. "Wait, I will be right back," he says. He goes outside and comes back in holding something large wrapped in suede. He places it on the table and unwraps the cloth. Inside there are six different coloured swords covered in their cases.

"These are Japanese blades," he says handing me the blue one. "This one was made in Kagawa about two hundred years ago."

I hold it with both my hands.

"Open it," he says.

Slowly I remove the blade from its case. I marvel at the light weight of the steel and the glow of the blade.

"It's beautiful," I whisper.

"It is. I received it as a gift from a forger in the province," he says.

"Do you have a lot?" I ask him.

"Yes, here I keep these six. I have another twenty-seven at my other outposts."

"I don't think I am ready to start practicing with these quite yet," I say nervously. "I thought that maybe we would start with sticks or something."

He laughs. "Yes we will begin your training by using sticks. I don't want you to injure yourself or me with these just yet."

I hand Marius back the sword and he puts it back in its case. He takes the swords back outside, probably to his underground chamber. I put on my black sweat jacket and running shoes and head outside, ready to begin my training. I set up a few lanterns for more light.

He comes back holding two sticks. He begins by showing me stances and how to hold a blade. Hours pass during which time he has showed me different variations on how to yield a sword and block attacks. By the end I am sweating and my hands are blistered from keeping my grip firmly on the stick.

He takes a hold of my hands and looks at them. "Would you like me to heal them?"

I smile and nod. His fangs instantly pop out. I stare at them in awe. This is the first time that I have seen them and he looks even more beautiful. He pricks his finger and slowly rubs his blood on my palms. A second later my blisters are gone.

"Thank you," I tell him rubbing my hands together.

"Would you like to go up to our spot?" he asks me.

"Yes that would be nice," I respond. We put out the oil lanterns and take them back inside. He grabs the blanket. Soon afterwards we head up to our secluded spot up in one of the mountains. After landing I keep my arms around his neck and he doesn't set me down. He carries me and sits down on the grass with me on his lap.

"Tell me more about your life." he asks.

I think about it for a second. "Ummm I think you probably know everything that there is to know. I haven't led a full life like you. Mostly all the exciting things resulted in me getting hurt one way or another," I laugh.

He laughs as well. "No I have not led a fulfilling life. Yes I have been to many places and have seen many things but my existence has been relatively empty for too many years."

I lean my head against his chest and he pretends to breathe in and out for me.

"Since the weather has been warm lately, would you like to go swimming tomorrow night?"

I look up and smile. "That would be lovely. I have been thinking about doing that for awhile but was unsure about the lake."

"It is safe to swim in," he responds.

"Alright," I tell him.

The next evening we walk to the lake. I don't have a bathing suit so I wear some cotton sleeping shorts and a light pink tank top and also take a towel. He is wearing a t-shirt and some shorts as well.

We reach the lake. There is plenty of light with the moon providing it for us. Without a word he takes off his shirt and shoes and literally jumps a long distance into the lake. I stand there surprised and he emerges from the water.

"Aren't you coming in?" he asks me.

I nod and take off my sandals. Just as I am about to test the water with my feet he says, "Just run in, it will be easier."

I get ready and run as fast I could towards him. The cold water hits my skin and I start screaming. "Fuck this water is cold!"

I hear him laughing, "What did you expect? This lake was made from a glacier."

"But I didn't think it would be this freezing," I whine. I start to make my way back to the shore but he comes up behind me and holds me.

"What if I get pneumonia or hypothermia?" I say whining again.

"That is not likely since you have had my blood. The effects of which will stay with you for a few years. Your body will adjust to the temperature." He turns me around to face him and I wrap my legs around his waist. My teeth are chattering now and he rubs my arms as though that will warm me up.

He takes us deeper into the lake.

"Did you want me to take you for a little ride?"

I get excited and smile, "Yeah."

He swings me onto his back and I hang on. He holds onto my legs and starts swimming faster and goes deeper towards the middle of lake.

He stops and turns me to face him again.

"Why did you stop?" I ask.

"To see how you were doing," he replies.

"Really, well I'm still cold and I'm losing the feeling in my legs, but other than that I'm ok."

He starts rubbing my thigh. The touch makes me shiver.

"Can you feel that?"

"Yes," I squeak.

With warning, Marius levitates upwards from the water and I screech in surprise. I cling on tighter to him.

"We'll go to the hot springs to warm up," he tells me. I bury my face against his neck still shivering.

Once we get there he lowers us into the springs and somewhat reluctantly I let go of him. The warm water is a welcome relief. I swim around to warm up my body. We usually keep lanterns in various places in the vicinity of our cabin so he goes and grabs one of them by the path and lights it up.

"Remind me to never go swimming in the lake again!" I laugh.

He laughs with me. "Did you want to resume your training tomorrow?"

"Yes for sure. I really want to upgrade from sticks to using the real thing," I say lightly.

He smiles back, "I think that time will come quickly. You are a fast learner and very strong."

"Thanks. The running and lifting have been a real help. I actually have muscles now; I am no longer just soft all over." He raises an eyebrow and smirks. My face starts to get red after realizing how that sounded. Noticing my embarrassment he chuckles.

"Your modesty is one of the qualities I like about you. Are you warm enough now?"

"Yes! Thank you for bringing me here."

We stay in the springs awhile longer and chat. I look at my hands which are starting to prune up. "Maybe we should head back now."

He agrees and I step out of the water. I look down at my chest and see that my breasts are visible through my now see-through pink tank top. Immediately I cover them. I look down even further and can see my white yellow flower print underwear through my cotton shorts. I start to blush again knowing that vampires have good eyesight.

"Uhhh.. we left our stuff at the lake," I state spinning around to face Marius.

I stare at his chest watching drops of water trickle down. I will never get bored of that sight.

"I will carry you back so that you don't have to walk with your bare feet and then get our belongings." He swings me up into his arms. He carries me a lot. I wonder if I will ever be able to go back to getting around in vehicles when I have him to get me to places.

At the cabin I take off my wet clothes and wrap another towel around me and wring out the excess water from my hair into the basin. I need to cut my hair. It is getting long and has been growing rapidly during the past month.

Just then he walks in holding my towel and sandals in his hand.

**Marius' POV:**

I look at her and the outline of her body. To say that Sookie was just beautiful would be an understatement. She is stunning and absolutely perfect. Everything about her is perfect, from the way she laughs to the way she carries herself in this world. When I first brought her here I was worried about her. Her vitality was leaving her body and the light that shined around her was dimming. But now all that was back and in an even greater amount.

"Oh you're back," Sookie says looking flustered. She stands there clutching the towel around here seeming unsure of herself. She has no idea of how desirable she is. It had taken all of my self-restraint to not take her into my arms the night I had left to get her food and supplies. I felt her anxiety and desire. She wanted me to kiss her but I could not. She wasn't ready. There were still many things that needed to be sorted out in her relationship with Northman. That was a reality that pained me. She had to go back and face him if she wanted to move on.

"I'll just put these on the table and let you get dressed."

I go outside and spin around quickly to dry my hair and skin. I put on my shirt afterwards. I listen as she rummages through her bag looking for something to wear. I think about how satisfied I have been since she came into my undead life. She continues to surprise me every day in many ways. I have not felt this fulfilled since I made and raised Marten so to speak.

"You can come in now," Sookie yells through the door.

I walk in and find her sitting on the sofa in her nightgown holding her notepad. I suspect that she wants me to teach her more of my language. I join her on the sofa and for the next couple of hours I teach her phrases and words. To my knowledge Marten and I are the only ones who speak this certain type of dialect of the Norse language. It pleases me to know that she will be the third.

It is getting late and I can tell that she is tiring.

"We should continue this tomorrow," I tell her. I get up, go to the door and she follows.

"Thank you for today," she tells me warmly.

"Sookie..." I say but she interrupts me.

"I know I know, I say thank you too often. But I really mean it."

She puts her hands on my shoulders and tiptoes, leaning up to reach my face. I bend down to her slightly and she kisses me on the cheek. Her lips linger there for what seems like an eternity and finally she looks into my eyes. She closes her eyes and puts her lips against mine. They are warmer and softer than I imagined. I can taste the water from the hot springs. She parts her lips slightly giving me more access. We deepen our kiss and I pull her body closer to mine. She wraps her arms around my neck and plays with my hair.

She breaks away from our kiss for air and is gasping for breath, "Wow."

"Wow indeed," is all I say. It is that moment that I realise that I loved her and would do anything to keep her happy and protected.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I probably should have written this sooner but I would just like to thank everyone who reviews my story even the people who provide constructive criticism. I realise that Eric/Sookie stories that don't have them as a happy couple throughout the plot aren't that popular, so thank you for continuing to read and review. I wrote this quickly, which is quite a shocker for me so there are probably some spelling errors. **

**Eric's POV:**

It has been over four long excruciating months since Sookie left and so far we have not found any sign of her. The weres and Sookie's bodyguards searched throughout Western Canada to no avail before I finally told them to call off the search. The weres returned, but Sookie's guards chose to continue looking out of loyalty. They have been searching the West coast slowly making their way down.

These past months I have thought through the worst possible scenarios that could have happened to her. She may have been raped and drained. She could have been kidnapped and is now being held against her will enduring severe torture. The worst scenario would be is that she is already dead but I know that it is not likely. If she was dead I would have felt it the second that it happened. Despite the fact that she has shut down our bond I would have felt the connection between us end. After a thorough probe of our bond I can also sense that she is not in danger. Wherever she is, she must feel content.

This relieves me but also at the same time worries me. Why would she feel content? Why was our separation not affecting her the way it was affecting me? Does she not miss me as much as I missed her? Was she just waiting for the right opportunity to leave me? I torture myself daily thinking about the answers to these questions and much more.

I have also been keeping an eye on Rosamund. I have no doubt in my mind that she had something to do with Sookie running away but I also don't believe that she has kidnapped Sookie. I hired some spies to keep track of her actions and so far they have not seen or found anything unusual other than the fact that Etienne had left some weeks before. They were not able to find out where he had gone. This sparked my curiosity. I put together the pieces and came to the realization that it was Etienne that somehow got to Sookie and convinced her to leave. I recalled the time at Rosamund's castle where I had left Sookie with him for several minutes. She was wearing a shawl that did not belong to her. He must have somehow given her a way to contact him. But why did she not tell me that she was secretly speaking to him? What did they talk about? All these kinds of unanswered questions continue to burn in my mind. I don't think that she is with him. He knows how dangerous and unforgiving I can be.

De Castro has also discovered that Sookie was gone. He had requested her services a month ago and although I tried to give him excuses, he was adamant about seeing her. I finally had to tell him the truth but left out the reason why she left. No doubt he would use that information against me. He sounded surprised and disappointed. He offered to help me find her but I told him no and asked him to keep it confidential. But other vamps were already beginning to suspect something was not right due to my irritable state, even though I tried to maintain a public facade that there was nothing wrong.

The supernatural rumour mill was spinning stories because no one has seen Sookie by my side for quite a long time. There were stories going around that I had killed her, that she was being chained up in my lair, or that she had gone crazy and was now in a mental institution. There was also a rumour that Rosamund and I were keeping her locked up, feeding from her daily and having sexual orgies. That particular rumour sickened me.

To get away from all that, I moved back to Shreveport three weeks ago and perform all my territory duties here. I work from my downtown office and at Fangtasia time to time. Another reason why I moved back was to be closer to Bon Temps just in case Sookie decided to come home. I have been watching her brother and friends closely, wiring their phones and keeping tabs on their mail to see if she has tried to contact them. They have also been calling me constantly to see if I have heard anything yet about Sookie. Appearing distressed, one night the brother came to my office demanding to see me. He threatened my secretary and security guards. Rather than taking physical action against him, I had them escort him out and glamoured to keep him from coming back.

Tonight I sit in my old office which is now Pam's at Fangtasia. I stare grimly at my work on the desk finding it hard to concentrate. Just then Pam walks in with a male blood donor.

"Master your meal for the evening," Pam says in her usual bored tone.

I rise from my chair and walk towards the young nervous man. Rather than wasting time offering him a seat I grab his wrist and sink my fangs into the artery. This man's blood tastes putrid like all the other donors that I have drunk from in the past months. The god awful artificial blood substitutes are preferable to human donor blood but I must keep up my strength. The essence that all vampires need in order to be strong is found only in the blood of humans. It is a missing element in the artificial substitutes. After reaching my fill I glamour the man and he leaves the office.

I go back to the desk and try again to concentrate on my work. Pam is still standing in the room staring at me.

"Just spit out what you have to say," I snarl.

"You can't go on like this," she says in a sorrowful tone.

"Don't you think I already know that? You know how hard I have tried to find her."

"Yes I know that," she replies. "But I think it's time that you accepted that she is not coming back. You need to get over her and move on."

My anger grows. "What did you just say?" I say in a low tone.

"You heard me. You need to get over her the way she has gotten over you. If she truly had deep feelings for you she would have returned by now despite of what you have done."

My fury rises and I toss the papers from the desk and break my pen.

Pam continues on, "Surely you know that she must be with Etienne. She is probably fucking him as we speak."

I lose my temper instantly. In a quick second I hold her by the throat against the wall, squeezing her neck and causing pain.

"Don't ever speak that way about your mistress again. She is not with him and she will return. If I hear another slur again about my wife that comes from your mouth, I will have you chained up in silver for the month," I say in an irate tone.

Feeling her physical and emotional pain I let her go and she falls to the floor. Bloody tears fall from her eyes.

"I am so sorry Master," she says crying still sitting on the floor on her knees. "I am just worried and afraid for you. You have not been yourself."

I close my eyes and fight my own urge to shed tears. "I accept your apology, leave now and don't bother me for the rest of the night."

I sit back down at the desk. Pam slowly walks out the door quietly closing it afterwards.

She is correct about one assertion; I have not been acting like anything closely resembling my previous self. Lately I have been easily losing my temper with others. A month ago I almost killed one of the donors that I was feeding from. He began to feel aroused and tried to caress my leg. In a rage I snapped his wrist bone and beat him to a bloody pulp. Pam and my guards had to intervene. He would have died if he wasn't given vampire blood afterwards. I need to control my temper or else it will destroy and consume me, more so than it already has.

I decide to call Marten to ask if he has found any new information.

He answers the phone after three rings. "Hello king of Louisiana. What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to know if you have learned anything new."

I hear music and a female voice in the background asking him when he is coming back. He doesn't answer her and says, "No sorry Eric. I have no new information. I even went up there to see if I could find something but came up empty handed again. Are you sure that she is still... among the living?"

I let out a sigh, "I am positive that she is still alive. Please just call me right away when you have heard anything, even if the information is obscure."

"Of course Eric. Are you still coming to the summit?"

"Yes I will be there."

"That's great, we can talk more at that time. Listen I have to go now, have some business that I must attend to."

"See you there," and I hang up the phone.

I stare absentmindedly at a picture on the wall before I decide to go home for the night. I get into my car and drive towards the house that Sookie and I shared. As I get closer the thought of lying alone in the bed that we slept in is too much to bear. I reach the house and park my car in the garage. I shoot up into the sky and fly towards Bon Temps, Sookie's house. I get to her house and open the door using a spare key. I walk through the house trying to find traces of her scent. A half hour later I give up and head down the secret underground chamber that I had built years earlier for emergencies. It is a small room with just a cot, a tiny bathroom and dry food for Sookie.

It is nearing dawn and I can feel the sun rising. I lie back on the cot thinking. Wherever Sookie is she has managed to hide herself extremely well. It is entirely up to her to come back to me and I must be patient. I realize now how much hurt that I must have caused her. When she does come back I will spend the rest of eternity making up for what has occurred. I will find a way to nullify my marriage even if it costs me the Louisiana territory. I will make Rosamund pay dearly for her part. I continue to think as death takes a hold of me.

**Etienne's POV:**

I have been living in this small shitty town called Canmore for too long looking for Sookie Stackhouse. I have searched through every small town in the area and so far have not found any trace of her or even the bounty hunters. When I arrived here I talked to many people and by showing them a picture, I asked if any had seen her. I came across a couple of older women who had recognized her. Sookie had been living and working for an older woman called Anna Pember. After getting the necessary information, I glamoured the women into forgetting about Sookie. I also found and glamoured others that they said would remember seeing Sookie. I found the house and learned that the old woman had moved to the east coast. Before I could interrogate her, I learned that she died from natural causes just days earlier. So I was back to square one.

I have had a couple of close calls with running into Eric's weres and bodyguards who were searching this area as well. After a couple of days they left. Lucky fuckers. At least they get to go home while I'm stuck here until I find her. I thrust hard a few more times into the red haired woman underneath me. I am nearly there and I sink my fangs into neck. After taking more blood than I needed I pull out of her and sit up on the bed. She tries to hug me from behind but I push her away.

"You can go now, I no longer have any use for you," I say bluntly. She tries again to touch me. "Fuck off," I say crossly.

She gets up from the bed whimpering. Crying, she runs out of the room clutching her dress and shoes.

I start to put on my clothes and my cell phone rings.

"You better have some good news," Rosamund says angrily.

"Hello to you too. I don't have anything new to report. I have been to every town in this area. It's like she vanished into thin air. I can't even find any trace of the bounty hunters either. Even their rented car has disappeared. I think that there may be someone helping her and that whoever it is must be very powerful to have made two seven hundred year old vampires vanish."

"Well try harder!" she snaps. "Do I have to constantly remind you that we are running out of time? Felipe is has been extremely impatient lately and I have been doing everything I can to stall him from taking action."

I pause for a moment. "I am going to try searching deep into the forest. I doubt that she has returned to the U.S. She has to be somewhere in this area."

"You better be right. You find her or else I will take the liberty of cutting off your dick. You will have to go through a painful year of it growing back."

She hangs up and her words make me flinch. I definitely don't want to lose that part of my anatomy. I will begin to search through the woods maybe in a day or two. Right now I will stick around in the town consuming as blood as I can before I head into the forest where I will have to survive on synthetic blood.

**Rosamund's POV:**

I am in New York sitting in a living room waiting to talk to Marten. I am hoping to gain his support should my problem with Felipe continue to get serious. He has already threatened my existence. I know that Felipe fears and respects Marten so I am hoping that he will back off once he knows that I have Marten on my side. After waiting for over forty minutes he finally arrives.

"Rosamund to what do I owe this pleasure," he says as he sits down on the sofa across from me. His bodyguards stand on both sides of him.

"I was hoping you would mention pleasure," I say seductively running my hand down to my thigh. Marten is a rather handsome young looking vampire. I have slept with him a few times and he is a wonderful lover, but he is no Eric.

"You can leave us," he says to his guards. They walk out of the room and immediately I straddle him, rubbing myself against him. I try to kiss him but he moves his head to the side.

"Tell me why you are here first."

I rub my hands against his chest. "I need your help."

He grabs my wrists. "Go on."

"I need you to get Felipe to back away from me."

"Why would you need me to do that?" he says raising an eyebrow.

"I can't tell you that." I lean in to nip at his ear. He stands up and throws me on the sofa. He walks to the other side of the room and laughs.

"So you've gotten yourself into some trouble with him."

"It's not my fault. He wants to hurt me for something that I didn't do," I say.

"Then take your problem to the council," he replies.

I sigh feeling exasperated. "They can't help me. Only you can please, pretty please," I slowly make my way to him untying the back of my dress.

I try to caress his upper arm but he grabs my wrist. "Get your husband to help you. Besides I can't and won't interfere. I have started a new business with Felipe that you may have heard about. We are opening a club. I don't want to ruin my new business venture by interfering with a predicament that's not mine."

Marten walks away from me. "Guards," he says loudly and they come in. I quickly adjust my dress.

"I assume that you will be here in about a month and a half for the vampire council summit," he says. I nod in response.

"Good. _The Bank, New York City, _will have its grand opening during that time. I will send you an invitation. So until then, goodbye," he walks out of the room before I can say anything more.

_Etienne, you better find her soon, _I think to myself.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thank you Kitkath for nominating my story to get reviewed in the Sookieverse website. I never knew that site existed and it's an interesting page with lots of great info about SVM. Okay so for the next chapter it will be from various POVs (hint Eric,Marius,Sookie). I don't know when I will start writing it, maybe in a few days. Take care!**

**Sookie's POV:**

Since the first time that I kissed Marius I feel as though I have been walking on air. Cheesy, I know, but there is no other way to explain it. We have become even closer during these past several weeks since the night that I laid one on him to say the least. I don't know what went through my mind at that moment but it was definitely something that I wanted to do for awhile and I couldn't let him leave without doing it. When his lips touched mine it was a wondrous experience. They were soft and cool and I could taste the water from the springs. We kissed a little while longer afterwards before he left the cabin to go to his underground hidey-hole. I was on the verge of asking him to stay with me but he was the one who said we shouldn't do anything more. I felt a little rejected but the next morning I knew he was right. To make out with him was one thing, but to sleep with him was another thing. I wasn't ready to take that very intimate step. Yet my decision to not starting a new relationship so soon was thrown out the window the second our lips touched. Then again we haven't exactly defined our relationship yet.

But not being intimate hasn't stopped us from being in a constant state of bliss. When we're together we can't go five minutes without touching each other. When we walk we hold hands, we hug each other constantly and did I mention that we make out even more? Boy did he know how to kiss! I couldn't help but compare his kisses with Eric's and although I could never internally agree, they both rate high up on the scale.

I enjoyed the affection between us immensely. When we went up to our special places I always sat between his legs and leaned against his chest while staring out into the sky. Sometimes he would lay his head back on my lap while I stroked his hair just laughing and talking. I would tell him jokes that Jason told me when we were younger and we would laugh as it took him awhile to analyze and understand the meaning of the joke.

We even went fishing a few times at a river nearby. The first time we used spears. He was getting all of the fish while I was only getting frustrated from constantly squinting my eyes to look for them in the dark. The second time I tried using a self-made fishing line and a hook since I had no pole. That wasn't successful either and I gave up on fishing after that. I could tell he was trying to hide his smile and laughter so I glared at him afterwards. We also continued with my sword training. After awhile I upgraded from using sticks to the real thing. He told me that I was a faster learner than Marten. I was proud of that compliment.

Tonight we just relax and enjoy the warm refreshing water of the hot springs. I swim around in the small pool of water until a pair of arms wraps themselves around my waist. I close my eyes and relax against him enjoying the light pecks against my neck and cheek. He turns me around and I wrap my legs around his waist and start making out which I never got tired of doing.

We haven't talked about sex yet. Probably because it seems that we are both shy to bring it up despite the fact that I'm an adult and he's thousands of years old. And probably because he is waiting for me to bring it up. It's not that I don't want to do it with him but I am still not quite ready to go any further. Marius knows this as well and hasn't tried to touch me in inappropriate places or pressure me. We also haven't completely viewed each other's bodies though I am certain he has seen mine with his enhanced vampire vision.

We continue to kiss and he presses me tighter against him. Things start heating up and I rub my body a little up and down against him.

"Sookie we should probably slow down," he says breaking off our kiss.

I gasp for air, "Yeah, you are probably right," I give him a demure smile and rub my heel against his luscious ass. Hey, just because he didn't touch me inappropriately didn't stop me from doing so.

Marius chuckles and gives me another spine-tingling kiss. "We've been here for over an hour, let's go back." He starts to make his way to the shoreline with me still attached to him.

He sets me down and gives me another quick kiss before wrapping my towel around me. I put on my sandals and watch him spin around in his vampire speed to dry himself off.

"I feel dizzy just watching you do that," I laugh.

We walk back to our cabin and he waits for me outside as I take off my wet clothes and put on my nightgown. Afterwards we sit in front of the fireplace and play scrabble. After losing two games in a row I finally win. I jump out of my seat and do a victory dance.

"What makes you think that I didn't just let you win?" he says pulling me into his arms.

"Ha! Only sore losers would say something like that," I reply putting my arms around his neck.

We start kissing for a few minutes until he lets go and leads me to the bed. He pulls back the bed spread and climbs into the bed. I get in after and cuddle against him, laying my head against his chest.

"Sookie?" he asks me, stroking my hair at the same time.

"Hmmm?" I respond.

"When did you want to go back? Back to where everyone else is I mean," he says.

Startled, I look up at him. "Did you want to leave?" I say panicking a little. _He's probably getting bored of me_**, **I think to myself. 

He caresses my cheek, "No. I just thought that maybe you would want to be around other people since you are alone during the day."

I breathe a sigh of relief and think about what he's just said. "Yeah you're right. It is kind of lonely during the day by myself with no one to talk to. But then the night makes up for all that."

He smiles, "What about your family?"

I exhale sadly and twirl a curl of his dark brown hair around my finger. "I miss them a lot. I wish that I could see them, but I'm not ready to go back out there to the real world. I'm happy just being here with you. Are you happy too?"

"More than you will ever know," he responds, sealing his answer with another kiss.

I lay my head against his chest once again. "Could you talk to me as I fall asleep?" I ask.

"Of course." Marius complies and begins talking to me in his ancient dialect. I recognize most of the words he is saying but some are still unknown to me. I don't quite understand how strongly I feel about him, but I know that is close to something like love. I fall asleep listening to his voice.

I wake up alone the next morning. I make breakfast and go about doing my usual daily things.

Later in the day I start thinking about Eric and wonder what he has been doing lately. He is probably in France or New Orleans with his wife doing god knows what. He is more likely enjoying himself; too busy to miss me. The thought of it makes me sad. I think about what I've been doing and a hint of guilt starts to creep up in me about letting myself become so close to Marius while still bonded to Eric. I push that feeling aside. Eric and I aren't married or engaged. As far as I'm concerned we are no longer together and he was the one who cheated on me and ruined our relationship. Sometimes I think about opening up the bond for a few seconds just to see if I can feel him from here. But eventually I dispel that idea because he could use that moment to locate me.

I want to see my family. I miss Jason and Tara. I miss my god daughter and my nephew. I miss home. But at the same time I am happy here. This place in a way has also become my home, my sanctuary from all the evils and stress of the outside world. Here I don't have to worry about rogue fairies, weres, vampires, and especially politics. But if I want to see my family again, I would have to leave and go back out there. I know that I can't hide here forever. Sooner or later I would also have to face Eric. I hope that he will just let me be happy.

The sky gets darker and I turn on my ipod. The last time that Marius went into one of the nearby towns he brought back an ipod for me as a gift. There was already over 1000 songs on it. I tried asking him where he downloaded all the songs and he said that he glamoured the saleswoman into doing it. Her taste in music was eclectic. There was rap, hip hop, country, pop, 70s, and other variety of tunes. He even bought me a little solar powered recharger for it.

I hum and dance to my music as I sweep the floor in the cabin.

"You dance very well," a voice says.

I gasp and turn around. "Geez Louise, you scared me," I sigh.

"Don't stop on my account," Marius says walking towards me.

"You want me to continue dancing for you?"

"Yes," he replies.

"Well I will only continue if you join me," I say holding out my hand to him.

He looks hesitant and I swear that he is blushing.

"I confess...," he pauses looking towards the bathtub, "I confess that I do not know how to dance."

I stare at him in disbelief. This man, this perfect man who had thousands of years of experience, that I have known for several months has just told me he doesn't know how to dance. Here I thought there wasn't anything that he couldn't do 110 percent.

After my initial shock wears off I say, "But you asked me to dance the first time we met."

He still looks embarrassed. "Yes, but I had no intention of dancing with you. I just wanted to hold you in my arms and afterwards take you with me," he replies. That's a pretty blunt statement.

I laugh lightly, "You're such a brute! A true Viking, were you just going to toss me over your shoulder?"

He laughs too. "The thought crossed my mind. But what I really going to do was knock you out first, _then_ toss you on my shoulder," he jokes. I laugh even more.

"I never found the need to learn how to dance since I have not been around others that often," he tells me. "But since I know you enjoy dancing, I would be honoured if you would teach me."

My heart melts. I smile and nod. I decide to teach him how to waltz. I look through my list of songs in my ipod and settle on a Billy Joel song. He puts one hand on my waist and I put my hand on his shoulder. We joined hands and twirl around the small room. I teach him some basic moves that Gran taught Jason and me while growing up. He moves his body gracefully and catches on quickly. He even twirls me around a few times.

Hours later we settle for the night in bed just talking about what we should tomorrow and other things. Eventually I fall asleep with him holding me.

The day goes by and night comes. It gets dark and I wait for Marius because we decided to have an outdoor picnic tonight. I decide to get my things ready by bringing my portable stove and cookware outside.

"Lovely night don't you think?" he says behind me.

I get excited at the sound of his voice and spin around. I run to him and jump into his arms kissing him for all its worth and my fingers through his hair.

Suddenly he breaks away from our kiss and stands immobile, still holding me. I look at him confused. He finally speaks and tells me in his Old Norse language to go into the cabin and lock the door. Without a word I comply and walk inside trying to rein in my fears. A million thoughts go through my head. Did Eric find me, was it a dangerous animal? At this point I have no clue.

**Marius' POV:**

I smelled his scent even though he was at least five miles away. Normally I scan the area in search of unfamiliar scents and noises but tonight I was too eager to see Sookie that I skipped that task. I fly up into one on the taller trees and wait for the culprit. Several minutes later I hear him approach. I can see his figure hiding behind one of the water barrels forty yards from the cabin. He slowly walks forward and pierces through the small window. I continue to watch him as he makes his way to the door. As he tries to open the doorknob I fly from out of the tree and land right on top him knocking him to the ground.

He struggles to free himself from my release but he is no match for my strength. When he realizes this fact he barks out and yells, "Sookie!"

I keep him pinned down with him lying on his stomach and his face planted into the ground. He continues to call out Sookie's name in a muffled voice. I look around the area to see if there is anyone else but I don't sense anything. Finally Sookie speaks from behind the door.

"Marius?" she says. I can feel that she is fearful and confused.

Knowing that my hold on him poses no danger to her I tell Sookie to come out. She unlocks the door and gradually comes out. She looks at me with fear in her eyes and down at the man. I lift his head so that she can see his face and right away I can tell she recognizes him as her eyes widen.

"Etienne, what are you doing here?" she says.

"I was so worried about you. After I heard you disappeared in New York I came from Bordeaux to come and find you, to make sure that you were alright," he says in a strained voice. "I was worried about my friend."

Sookie looks at him, her tense body eases up a bit. "Marius, you can let him go. I know him."

In Old Norse I tell her that I don't trust him. He tries to glance over his shoulder. From what I can tell he appears to be shocked. I look at his nostrils flare up.

"You smell like Sookie and Marten, the king of New York. Are you his elusive maker?" he says.

I don't answer him but Sookie speaks. "Marius, I know him. I met in Bordeaux and he is my friend. He is Rosamund's child."

Right away her words give me the indication to not trust him at all. I contemplate where I should kill him. I know that I should not in front of Sookie, so I decide to take him at least several miles away.

Almost knowing what I am thinking, Sookie says, "Please don't kill him!"

I look up into her pleading eyes and think about my next move.

Once again in my language I tell her that I don't trust him but I will not kill him. I tell her that I will bind him in silver and put him in one of the many underground chambers that I have built over the years. She nods her head in agreement.

I put my hand over his eyes to hinder his eyesight and drag him to one of my chambers. We reach the chamber and I open the door hidden underneath the earth. He continues to struggle from my grasp. In one instant he tries to bite my arm but I break off one of his fangs in retaliation. He whimpers. I throw him into the lair and in my speed I grab a hold of the silver bindings on one of the shelves. I have always been prepared in case of immediate danger. I bind him in the silver securely against a solid steel column. After I am satisfied that he is unable to escape I smack him across his face. I wait for him to heal. He looks at me with fear in his eyes.

"Why are you here?" I ask him.

He doesn't say anything and I smack him again. I ask him the same question.

"I can't answer that, I really can't," he says. I probe him deeper. It is apparent that his maker had given him an official command to not tell the truth to anyone.

"Is there anyone else with you?" I ask.

"No I am alone," he replies. He appears to be telling the truth.

"Other vampires will come for me," he says. "Because I will not have called in. I call my maker everyday to tell her of my progress. If I don't call in tonight then she will know something is wrong. If you kill me then she will definitely come after you with an army."

His attempt to threaten me is pathetic. I fight the urge to rip his head off his body.

"You think you can frighten me little boy?" I say in a callous tone.

His eyes are still fearful but he says in a clear voice, "No I don't think I can, I don't think nobody can. What about Sookie's family? If I meet my final death then her family will die as well."

"You are bluffing," I counter.

He chuckles. "Are you willing to take that risk? I can see it in your eyes that you care for her deeply. I know that you don't want to do anything that will hurt her. She seems to have that affect on all the vampires that she meets."

"You will live for now," I tell him.

I hit him hard on the head enough that it will knock him out until he rises the next evening. Checking his pockets, I find the satellite phone and some other items. I smash the phone into pieces. I make sure the bindings are securely fastened around him that he will not be able to escape. I head back to the surface and cover up the hidden door. I start to think about what to do next as I burn his other belongings.

Our location has been compromised and we have to leave. That is the certain fact. My mind wanders to Sookie. I have known for weeks now that she needs to see and be with her family. She has missed them deeply. I also know that I need to keep them safe in order to secure her happiness. If we head back to the real world then she will also have to face Northman if she is move on. It is a painful reality to me but my first concern has always been her well-being.

I have sheltered myself from the outside world throughout most of my existence. For many years I thought I would be satisfied with this lifestyle but now I know I was wrong. If I could have it my own way Sookie and I would live together alone free from the constraints of society. But after this vampire's arrival I now accept that it is impossible for now and that she must go back.

I still cannot believe that in just a few short months this not entirely human woman has changed my life and the path that I had taken for centuries. In order to be with her I know that I must come from out the shadows and into the light so to speak. I have to go before the vampire council and deal with the politics in order to make my claim for Sookie. If they refuse and try to take her from me then they will leave me no choice but to destroy them. But if she wants to leave me on her own free will then I will let her go even though it will cause me pain.

I head back to the cabin to find Sookie pacing the floor. As soon as she sees me she runs, embracing me with a hug.

"I was so worried about you," she says relieved.

I rub my hands against her back relishing the warmth and wonderful scent of her skin.

"Is Etienne a danger to us?" she asks.

"Yes. There will be more of his people coming in perhaps a few days. We need to leave as soon as possible."

"You mean Rosamund will sense he is hurt through their bond?"

"No, she won't be able to sense him at all. His undead life force yes, but his emotions will be shielded from him. This is another one of my gifts. Apparently I hinder the bond between those who have shared blood."

"Oh," she says. I can tell that she has more to say on the topic. I raise my eyebrow. "It's just that when I first met you, I wondered how Eric couldn't tell that I was with you, you know by what I was feeling at the time."

She starts to blush. "But now I know. Did Etienne say anything about Eric?" she says quietly.

"No he didn't mention his name. But I can ask him tomorrow night."

"No," she says quickly. "I don't want to know. Where will we go next?"

"To New York. I will call Marten and tell him to meet us tomorrow night with his jet."

I head to the underground chamber that I rest in and grab the emergency satellite phone. I go back to the cabin and call my child. He answers the call right away. I speak rapidly instructing him to meet us in one of the towns tomorrow night. I also tell him to ensure the safety of Sookie's family and friends that she has told me about and to make arrangements to bring them to New York. Knowing his reaction, he is surprised by this new development but obeys my orders. He says that he will be in Fort Nelson tomorrow night.

I hang up the phone and see Sookie staring at me with worry and sadness.

"We're leaving," she says despondently wrapping her arms around my waist. "I guess I shouldn't have expected this to last forever."

"You are unhappy about this, as am I," I respond.

"Yeah it's sad, but hopefully I can see my family again."

I give her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Are you sure that it is safe to rest during the day with Etienne in your hidey-hole?" she asks in a worried tone biting her lower lip.

I smile at her. "Probably, but I don't rest in the place where I put him. He will be there securely until tomorrow evening."

I look around the cabin. The cabin that I had built many years ago. "We have to burn this place Sookie. We have to burn almost everything, especially the items that bear your scent heavily."

She hesitantly nods. I take most of my valuable items and store them in my underground compartment. She gathers up the things that she wishes to keep. I tell her that I will only be able to take a few things since I have to fly with her and the other vampire attached to me. She leaves her clothes in the cabin. Once we have taken everything we wish to keep I set the cabin on fire.

We watch the home that we made burn to the ground. Sookie leans on me her head resting against my shoulder. The flames are extinguished and there is nothing left but ash. The sky is getting lighter and I take her to my 'hidey-hole' to rest and hide for the day.

Thankfully I spared one of the blankets and take that with us as well.

Once we go down I flick a flashlight on and she looks around the small room. Most of the space is now filled and she looks at my bed which is just a long narrow wooden table.

"You sleep on that?" she asks incredulously. I make sure the door is securely locked.

I smile at her, "Yes." I lie down on the table clutching the blanket in my hand.

She looks at me with a furrowed brow. "There's not enough room for me."

"Yes there is. I will be your mattress," I respond with a smirk.

She blushes. She looks around for a few moments and climbs on top of me.

"Don't try anything," she says in an amused tone laying her head on top of my chest. I put the blanket over her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," I respond.

She yawns, tired from our long evening. "Goodnight Marius."

"Goodnight Sookie," I reply back. I hear her breathing slow down. She is fast asleep. I let death take a hold of me for the day.

**Sookie's POV:**

I slowly awake and my eyes flutter open. For a brief second I forget where I am but then I recall all of last night's events. Etienne found us. We were no longer able to stay here and we had to burn the cabin. Well, Marius burned the cabin as I watched. I rest my head against him for a few minutes longer and stretch out my legs. I need to pee but I can wait. I reach out my arm to feel around the dark enclosed space and find a flashlight. It flickers on and I look up at him to see that he is dead, still resting.

I run my hand across his face and smile. Somehow my hands run down further and go down his chest as I straddle him. They stop below his navel, dipping under his shirt. I debate whether or not I should go any further. I look at him again and see that he is still asleep.

I lean down and place small kisses along his neck as my hands underneath me start to go down further.

"I could get used to treatment like this," he says quietly.

Immediately I stop kissing him and remove my hands. I blush furiously embarrassed at being caught fondling him as he slept.

"I'm so sorry, I couldn't help myself," I say lamely. I try to get off of him but he holds me.

He sits up and holds me around my waist. "There's no need to apologize. I cannot say that I have not thought about doing that to you as I watched you sleep."

I laugh nervously. "Well still, I shouldn't have done that. I don't know what came over me." _Yeah you do, you're horny, _my inner voice tells me.

He smoothes some strands of my hair and kisses me. We make out for several minutes until I need air.

"Do you know what time it is?" I ask.

"It is almost dark," he says leaning his head against mine.

He tells me about the place where we are supposed to meet Marten. Soon the sun goes down and we head back up to the surface. He covers up the door and we walk through the forest to collect Etienne. I stop somewhere to relieve myself along the way. I carry a backpack full of things that we want to take with us. We stop somewhere and he opens up another hidden door. He goes down and brings back up a broken looking Etienne. His mouth is gagged in silver as well as his hands and legs.

Marius rechecks Etienne's bindings to make sure that they are secure. He goes down the hidey-hole again and brings up some rope.

"I will use this rope to carry him as we fly," he tells me.

He fastens the rope around his waist and Etienne's. He lifts me into his arms and soon we are off flying to our destination. I look back at the place we had made our home. I am overcome with sadness about leaving it. Feeling this, Marius kisses my temple.

A few hours later we finally reach our destination. We arrive at an airport hangar. He sets me down on my feet and I look behind us to see Etienne lying on the ground in pain from landing hard.

I look back towards the plane and see Marten coming out flanked by four bodyguards. They all stare in awe at Marius.

Marten kneels down in front of his maker, "Father it is good to see you," he says in Old Norse.

Marius tells him to rise and Marten looks behind us, shocked to see Etienne on the ground. "Is he coming with us?" he says in English.

Marius nods his head and his bodyguards pick Etienne up and take him into the plane.

Marten looks at me, giving me one of boyish charming smiles, "I am glad to see you again Sookie, though I can't say that I am surprised. I had a feeling that you were with my father."

I blush a little. "It's good to see you too Marten."

"Well should we make our way out of this one horse town?" he says looking at Marius.

"Yes," he says holding my hand and leading us to the plane.

We settle into our seats. I don't see Etienne so I assume that he must be in the back somewhere with a couple of the bodyguards. I continue to hold Marius' hand looking around the fancy private jet. Afterwards I lean my head against Marius' shoulder. I don't notice Marten observing us.

"You know Sookie, I am feeling quite jealous at how close you are with my father," he says with a smirk and amusement in his features.

I smile at him about to reply but suddenly I think about Eric and my smile disappears.

"Do you know if Eric knows that I have been found?" I ask him.

"Not that I aware of," he says glancing at Marius. "He is still in Louisiana."

"Oh", I reply. I stare out the window. The plane begins to takeoff and I close my eyes.

Once we are in the air Marten speaks again. "I have arranged for your family to come to New York tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" I exclaim feeling ecstatic and excited.

He smiles and nods, "You should thank Marius. He was the one who told me to arrange for them to come meet you."

I look at Marius beside me and jump out my seat and into his lap. I hug him, whispering thank yous into his ear and crying tears of joy.

We all chat for a couple of hours, laughing and enjoying each other's company. I soon start to feel tired and I fall asleep with my head on Marius' lap and smile on my face.

**Marius' POV:**

I caress Sookie's hair as I watch her sleeping. Marten is watching at us curiously.

"What are you going to do next?" he asks.

"Now? Now I am going to make myself known," I respond.


	21. Chapter 21

**Sookie's POV:**

I had woken up from my long nap feeling famished. So much had changed in just the past twenty-four hours that I had forgotten to take the time to stop and eat. Marten had told me that my stomach was squirming while I was sleeping. I was a little embarrassed.

A flight attendant brought a plate of food and a glass of water for me and placed it on my tray. For the first time in months, I ate food that I hadn't prepared on a portable stove or an open fire; it was delicious.

After I finished, she took my plate and empty glass away just as we heard the pilot's voice telling us that we were nearing New York City.

I look at the time on the large T.V. screen and see that it is almost 4:00 in the morning. I click on my seat belt and sit back looking out the window. I felt Marius put his hand on mine. I turned to look at him and smiled as he kissed my forehead.

"Oh please, spare me," Marten scoffed. "If I could I would probably vomit at your displays of affection." He definitely reminded me of Pam.

Marius glares at him silently giving him a warning.

Marten's face falls a little and he says, "Sorry master. And I apologize to you Sookie. It's just that I'm not used to seeing this type of interaction, especially from him.

I smile at him, "That's alright Marten. So what have you two been up to while I was sleeping?"

"We were just talking about tomorrow night or rather tonight," Marten says.

"What's going on tonight?" I ask.

"The annual vampire council summit starts this evening. My city is hosting this year's shindig. Most of the vampire king and queens from all over the world are arriving today. Some are already here."

My face falls and it does not escape their notice.

"Is Eric coming too?" I ask quietly.

"Yes, I believe he is travelling to the city by coffin this afternoon."

Now I fight the urge to vomit. I start biting on my fingernails. Marius caresses my hand and turns my head to him by holding my cheek.

"It's going to be alright Sookie. I will be with you always," he says trying to reassure me. It was now inevitable that I would have to see Eric very soon.

It wasn't that I was afraid Eric was going to hurt me physically; I was afraid of having to face him, of having to put everything on the table and deal with it all. I was afraid that he wouldn't accept my new feelings, the turn that my life had taken. I was also scared of getting emotionally hurt again. I was scared of how he may have changed. Like going back to his old lifestyle and realizing he didn't love me anymore. Even after drinking Marius' blood couldn't purge me of these fears.

We land at the airport and quickly exit the plane with Etienne still in bindings. Marten and his bodyguards jump into a car with Etienne. I look at Marius worriedly. I don't want them to hurt him as he looks like he is in enough pain. My own tortuous experiences cause me to sympathize for him.

Marius looks at me and tells Marten to remove the bindings from Etienne once they get to their destination.

Marius and I get into a helicopter nearby.

"Where are we going?" I ask him as I buckle my seatbelt in preparation for my first helicopter ride.

"To one of Marten's homes. We are going to stay at his downtown penthouse maybe tomorrow night we will stay at one of his other homes."

The helicopter ride is about twenty minutes and we land on top of a tall building. I take in the magnificent city lights and the Statue of Liberty. I look out onto the sky and see a hint of the light of the sun coming up.

Marius leads me down into the building and punches in a code into the elevator. We go down a few floors until the elevator stops and the doors open. The lights automatically turn on for us as we step into a plush foyer area opening up into an equally elegant large living room. The black steel blinds cover the windows.

"Come," he says taking hold of my hand. He leads me down a long hallway and into a bedroom. He flicks on the lights and walks toward one of the cabinets attached to the wall. As he rummages through, I look around the room. It is furnished with modern furniture. The floor is dark hardwood and the cabinets along one side of a wall are mahogany. The bedding for the large king-size bed is white. There is a large flatscreen T.V over the fireplace and a few paintings.

He pulls out leather binder. "I am going to have a shower in one of the other rooms. You can use the bathroom in there. Look in the walk-in closet, there should be some something to wear in there for you. Marten took the liberty of ordering some attire for you." he tells me pointing to the other doors in the room.

"Okay," I say. He gives me a quick kiss and leaves the room.

I walk towards the closet, open the doors, and turn on the lights. I gasp at what I see. The closet is humongous. There is one wall covered with just footwear. Two of the rows are men's shoes and the rest are women's. I look closely at a few of the pairs and see that they are all my size. One section of the closet is men's clothing as well. I examine some of the suits and casual wear and figure that they must be Marius' clothes. I look at the women's clothes and they are all my size as well. All of the clothes are brand name and expensive. I take one of the evening gowns off the rack and stand in front of the mirror. It is salmon coloured with spaghetti straps. I try to imagine what I would look like in it. It's been a long time since I wore anything nice like this.

"You would look stunning in that gown," Marius says. He is standing by the door smiling wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. His hair is still a little damp and pulled back. My mouth drops open as I stare at him. I almost drop the dress.

"Thanks, but Marten didn't have to buy all these expensive clothes. I'm sure he must have spent way too much for all of this," I say putting the dress back on the rod.

"Nonsense," another voice says. "I get all my clothes for free from the designers. Even women's clothing. They were happy to send me all this when I knew that you were coming."

I turn around to see Marten standing by the door grinning. Marius is picking out some underwear from his drawer.

"I hope that all these will fit you," he continues, "I wasn't too sure about your size, so I went from memory. A lot of these sizes run a bit smaller but I must say that you have a firmer body now from what I remember, not that there was anything wrong with it before. Your best assets haven't changed," he says, his eyes raking over my body especially my chest and hip area.

I start to blush again feeling awkward.

"Marten," Marius says sternly giving him a fierce look.

"Sorry, master," he says looking down ashamed. "I should go downstairs and get ready to rest for the day. Have a good morning and afternoon Sookie."

I smile at him, "You too Marten, have a good sleep. Thank you for this," I say gesturing to the clothes.

"I will see you downstairs," Marius says and Marten leaves.

Marius walks towards me and rubs my back. "I apologize for my son Sookie. Sometimes I think that no matter how old he gets, he can still be so adolescent at times."

I laugh lightly placing my hands on his chest. "That's okay. He still looks like an adolescent boy anyway."

I breathe in his scent and almost forget about how I must smell right now.

"Oh god, you smell so good and I must reek," I say stepping back from him.

"Nonsense, you always smell terrific," he tells me giving me a light kiss.

"Yeah but I'm dying for a shower too. Do you know where the underwear and nightgowns are?"

He points to a few drawers. I go and open them and find dozens of panties. All of them are different. I choose a pair that looks the most decent and I search the other drawer for a nightgown. The nightgowns are a bit racy too. There are shear, silk, lace and satin lingerie that only go a little past the butt or even shorter. I choose a purple satin one with spaghetti straps. After choosing my sleep wear I head to the luxurious large bathroom and take a shower. I don't stay in there for long because I know that Marius has to leave soon to rest in a secure area.

After my shower I head back to the bedroom and find Marius lying on the bed with the blanket drawn wearing boxer briefs. I climb into the bed and he pulls the blanket over us.

"Is this your bedroom?" I ask him resting my head against his chest.

"Yes, although I do not sleep in here. This is my room when I spend time with Marten."

"It's really great," I say giving him a quick kiss above his nipple.

"Where did Marten take Etienne?"

He runs his fingers through my damp hair. "He took him to one of his warehouses. His maker will now know that he is in dire need since I am no longer near him."

"What's going to happen then?" I ask looking up into eyes.

"If she cares for him, then she will try to find him. When she does, she will have to come to Marten. When that happens then I will confront her."

"Oh," I say laying my head against his chest again.

"You said we might be moving to another house, how many houses does Marten own?" I ask.

"He owns quite a few," he responds. "He has accumulated a large fortune for himself since he became king. He owns shares and a lot of businesses all over the state. He also owns rare artwork and antiques."

"Wow."

"I wish I could take credit in his entrepreneurial skills but he acquired all of this on his own. He is more than capable of taking care of himself," he says sounding like a proud father.

"That's great," I say rubbing my hand against his chest.

"Your family will be staying at the Waldorf and will be arriving at 3:30 pm today," he says.

I look up at him excited, my heart swelling. "Oh my god, thank you so much!" I cover his face with a bunch of kisses.

He brings my lips to his and we deepen our kiss, but then I start to think about my family and Eric.

I break away and ask, "Does Eric know that my family and friends are coming here?"

"No, not yet. But he could be alerted to that fact soon if he has had their phones tapped. Although I doubt it will be shortly since he will be in a travelling casket today and they are not scheduled to leave Shreveport till later this morning."

"Okay," I say breathing a sigh of relief. Last thing I wanted was a rambunctious Viking terrorizing his way through here looking for me.

"Marten has were guards. They will watch you over the day and take you to the Waldorf."

I smile against him, "Thank you so much. Thank you for bringing my family here."

I lean up to kiss him and he kisses me back. Things start to escalate. With encouragement from me, his hands roam over my waist and all over my back. Mine run down his chest and back as well. I put my leg over his and try to shift even closer to him. I can feel a hardness pressed against my lower stomach. His hand moves to my butt and he caresses my left butt cheek with one hand and my breast with the other.

This time he breaks away and moves his hands to my upper back.

"It's already dawn," he says.

I'm gasping for air at this point, "Oh," I say breathlessly.

"I must go. I need to talk to Marten."

I nod still out of breath. He gives me one last kiss and leaves. I think about what just happened but soon I fall asleep.

**Eric's POV:**

I take a sip from the bottle of synthetic blood and look over my itinerary for the week long summit. I let out an unnecessary sigh and lean my head back. I don't want to go for many reasons. There was the tiny hope that Sookie might come back. I didn't want to hear annoying questions or comments from other vampires concerning her whereabouts. But most of all I was not looking forward to seeing Rosamund. Just the thought of being in the same room as her makes me livid. Because we are married we must attend many of the functions together. This trip will definitely be a test of my patience.

The only good thing about seeing Rosamund again is that Etienne may be with her. Then I would be able to question him about Sookie. When I finally have the proof that I need that he approached her without my consent, then his existence will be forfeit. I know that Rosamund values him highly and with his life in my hands, I will use for my benefit. I will bargain with her to end our union officially in the eyes of the council. When that happens then eventually I will have my revenge. I will make sure she suffers for coming in between Sookie and I. She will be in pain for weeks before I end her life.

It is almost dawn so I turn off my laptop and put it in one of my bags. I finish off the bottle and get into the travelling casket securely locking myself in the small tight area.

Bobby and the weres were coming in about three hours to retrieve my casket and my luggage. They were my daytime protection and travelling with me, Pam and my royal vampire guards.

I close my eyes and hope that this week will go by quickly.

**Sookie's POV:**

I wake up a little past ten and jump out of bed giddy and excited. I go into the closet and put on some yoga pants and a tank top. As I re-enter the bedroom, I hear a beeping sound. I look around and see a white little envelope symbol flashing on the T.V. screen. I find the remote control and press the same symbol on it, right away the T.V. turns on and Marten's face is on the screen.

He is staring into the camera shirtless and smiling, "Good morning Sookie!"

"You are probably wondering why you see me. My father asked me to leave you a message for today, but rather than writing out a note which is such a hassle I thought I would do it this way. Don't you just love modern technology? But anyway, I took the liberty of ordering you a masseuse and some other people who will give you a facial, manicure, pedicure, the whole works. They should be here around noon. I'm sure you are looking forward to that after roughing it in the sticks for months. Also feel free to wander around the penthouse. It is quite large and there are plenty of things to do. If you are hungry the were guards can take you downstairs to the breakfast room. I hired a chef for you. Oh by the way the weres should be in the living room waiting for you. Have a great day!"

The television automatically turns off. I make the bed and walk out of the room, closing the door behind me. I slowly walk down the hall and this time the blinds are all down on the windows. The sky is shining bright. I walk a little bit more until I reach the large living room to find three men sitting on the sofa. One is playing with his cell, while the other two are looking at newspapers.

"Ms. Stackhouse?" the one who is looking at his cell asks.

"Yes," I smile politely.

They all stand.

"My name is Luke, this is Tom and Nicco, we work for Mr. Meijer," he says politely.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you," I say. Two of them are tall and bulky. Luke is around 6 feet and not as bulky, but I could tell that he was in good shape.

"Are you hungry?" he asks me.

I nod and they take me downstairs to the breakfast room. I ask for an omelette, a bowl of fresh fruit, and some orange juice and coffee. I finish my meal and afterwards I ask Luke if he could show me around. He takes me to some of the floors. There are more bedrooms, a few more living rooms and one large library. He also takes me to the floor where the swimming pool and whirlpool are.

It is almost noon so he takes me to another floor where there are multiple people waiting for me. I lie down on a bench and get a massage which feels so good. I also get other beauty treatments including a haircut which originally I had been dying for. I almost tell her to cut most of it off but I can't bear to see it go. I have never had my hair this long before and it is almost up to my butt. I ask her to give me a trim instead.

Hours later I am finished and I look cleaner and refreshed.

"Ms. Stackhouse, your family should be arriving at the Waldorf any moment," Luke says.

"Okay," I say excitedly. I go back up to Marius' room and put on a t-shirt and jeans.

We arrive at the Waldorf a half hour later and they take me up to their room.

I knock on the door and can hear Jason calling, "Who is it?"

"It's me you doofus," I yell back.

A few seconds later Jason opens the door, "Sookie?" he whispers.

He looks like he is about to cry and I can feel the tears forming behind my eyes as well. He grabs me and gives me a big bear hug.

"Oh my god Sook, where the hell have you been!" he yells, holding me tighter.

I start sniffling, "I'm so sorry to have worried you all!" I wail, happy and ecstatic.

He kisses me on the cheek. "Don't ever leave us like that again," he says, a few tears running down his face.

"Oh my god! Sookie!" Tara screeches.

She comes running up to me. Jason lets me go and this time Tara gives me a big hug.

She lets me go and I see Charlotte standing in the foyer holding my baby nephew. More tears come from my eyes. I walk up to her and she holds out the baby to me.

I hold him softly in my arms, "Hello, Evan," I coo. "I'm your Aunt Sookie." I kiss his chubby cheeks and hold his little hand. He smiles at me. Just then Emily sprints to me from out of nowhere.

"Aunt Sookie!" she yells holding onto my legs. J.B. comes up and lifts her into my other arm. I cannot believe how much joy I feel at this very moment holding both my god daughter and nephew.

A little while later we all sit in the living room. I hold on to my nephew, bottle feeding him as he falls asleep.

"You like our fancy digs Sook?" Jason comments. "We got the presidential suite. There are four bedrooms, plus a kitchen, the living room, plus we even get our own butler and cook!"

I smile at him as I take the bottle away from Evan's mouth. He is now asleep but I continue to hold him in my arms.

"Who is the guy that is paying for all of this anyway? The people only told us his name was Mr. Meijer," Tara comments.

"His name is Marten. How'd y'all end up here anyway?" I ask.

Tara and Jason relay the whole story. Apparently some men had come and knocked on both their doors early this morning. They had told them that I would be here in New York and that I wanted them to come and see me. Of course they were hesitant, but because they missed me they took the chance. They had arrived here by a chartered Concorde. Apparently those same people had gone to see Sam but he couldn't make it because he had no one to fill in for him at the bar. I start to wonder about Amelia, hopefully she is ok.

"So who is this guy Sook?" Jason asks.

"He is a powerful vampire and I guess he is a friend," I reply.

"What do you mean you guess?" he says.

"Well his maker is my special friend," I say quietly, blushing a little.

They both stare at me. "What happened with Eric?" Tara finally asks.

"I'm no longer with him," I say.

"What?" she says.

"Have you guys seen him lately?" I ask.

"No, we haven't seen him. He called me once after you had disappeared and ask me if you had called. After that we all tried to get in touch with him but he never accepted our calls. I even tried to go down to his office in Shreveport but I can't remember what happened," Jason says. I probe his mind a little, and can sense that he may have been glamoured by Eric.

"What happened between you two Sook?" he asks concerned.

Charlotte gets up to take the sleeping baby away from me and to the room. I look into her mind a little bit. She is not as excited to see me but is happy to have gotten a free trip to the big city. She can't wait to go shopping tomorrow.

I sigh, "It's a long story Jason. All you need to know is that I'm not with him anymore and it's over."

"He cheated on you didn't he?" he says. The look on my face gives me away. "That son of a bitch!" Jason yells angrily.

I stand up and go to him.

"Jason it's okay. It's in the past and I'm over it," I tell him.

He starts to calm down, "Well it serves him right Sook that you left him. So who is this new guy you are with?"

"Well he is a vampire too. I met him a couple of months ago in Canada."

Jason looks at me with uncertainty in his eyes. "Another vampire?" he says.

"Yes but he is different," I reply. Jason is still looking at me with one eyebrow raised.

"He is different," I say. "Just wait until you meet him. Look let's just forget about it for now, tell me all the news from Bon Temps."

Jason, J.B., and Tara launch into stories and gossip about the people in my hometown. We talk for a few hours until it starts to get darker. The hotel chef makes a large dinner for us and we all sit in the dining room. Just then Luke hands me his cell phone.

"Hello?" I ask.

"Hi, I missed you. How has your day been?" Marius asks. I smile and excuse myself from the table.

"I missed you too. Today has been so great. I can't believe they are all here, my nephew has gotten bigger. I can't wait till you meet them."

"I cannot wait to meet them as well. The sun will be down in about 15 minutes and I will be there shortly," he says.

"Okay I will see you soon, bye."

"See you soon Sookie," he says.

I hand Luke back his phone and join my family again.

**Marius' POV:**

I fly to the hotel and make my up to the suite where Sookie's family is staying. She is emitting a great deal of joy and contentment and it gets stronger as I get closer. I knock on the door and can hear Sookie excusing herself. I hear her running and she opens the door with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey," she says. I take her into my arms and give her a hug. I inhale her scent. I can smell various humans and a were, most likely her brother.

She lets me go and takes me hand. "Come, I'll introduce you."

She leads me to the dining area. They are talking amongst themselves but stop as soon as they seen me. They look at me speechless and bewildered.

I look at her family and especially her brother. I can see some resemblance to Sookie in his facial features and the baby that is sitting on another woman's lap. The woman that was with Sookie the night I had met her is also sitting at the table. She does not remember me because that night I had silently glamoured her to forget me.

"Geez you guys can quit staring," Sookie says to them. "Everyone I would like you to meet Marius."

"Marius, that is my brother Jason, his wife Charlotte, and their son Evan. Over there is Tara (Sookie gives me a quick look as though she knows that Tara was glamoured), her husband J.B., and in the high chair is their daughter Emily."

"Hi," they all say in unison.

Her brother stands up and walks toward us and holds out his hand.

He stands there and stares at me waiting for me to shake his hand.

I look at it and decide to oblige him. He grasps my hand firmly.

"It's nice to meet you," he says. "My sister has been screwed over by other vampires before, so I want to know right now what your intentions are toward her."

"Jason!" Sookie says in a scolded tone.

"It's quite alright Sookie. You want to know what my intentions are?" He lets my hand go. "My intentions are to protect and care for your sister for as long as she wants me to. As long as she is in my care nothing will happen to her and she will not get hurt again. She means too much to me. And because she cares deeply about you, I will protect you and your young son as well."

He stares at me and his demeanour softens a little.

"Are you satisfied now Jason?" Sookie says. "Come on let's have supper!"

We go to the table and I take a chair beside Sookie. I clasp my hand in hers as I watch her and family and friends converse. They also ask me questions about my background as well. Mostly I watch Sookie as she is practically glowing in the warmth and love that is surrounding her.

An hour passes by and my cell phone vibrates. It is a message from Marten.

"Sookie, we must talk," I whisper to her. She excuses herself from the table and I lead her to the front door. We step outside the suite.

"Are you going somewhere?" she asks.

"Yes I am going to the summit with Marten."

She looks worried. "Why?"

"I am going to tell them that you are now mine. If that is what you want," I say.

She looks down to her hands. "You need to tell them that so that Eric can't force me to go back to him right?"

"Yes but mostly because I do want you to be mine."

She looks back down to her hands again. "We've never talked about what this is between us," she says gesturing to us both. "I don't know if I'm ready for another relationship Marius. I mean technically I'm still with Eric. This is all happening too fast."

I hold her hands, "Sookie I am not pressuring you to make a decision right now."

"Eric is going to be there right?"

"Yes he will."

She paces a little in the hallway. "Then he'll know I'm here," she says her face flushing.

"He won't get to you, I will make sure of that," I tell her. "But you will probably need to see him, maybe by tomorrow evening."

She paces a little faster. "No! I'm not ready! I mean I know that it is inevitable that I have to face him, but... oh I don't know!" she gasps. She moves to me and puts her arms around my waist and lays her head against my chest. "Oh how things were much easier when it was just me and you in our private place in this harsh world."

I take in her scent. "I have to go soon Sookie," I whisper.

She lets out a sigh. "Do it. Do what you have to that won't end up with me having to go back to Eric tonight but just don't hurt him. And I will see him tomorrow night."

"You are sure?" I ask. She nods her head.

"Go. Spend more time with your family," I tell her. I give her a lingering kiss, watch her go back into the suite and I leave the hotel.

I fly back to the penthouse into Marten's office.

He is going through some emails.

"Sookie is happy?" he asks me.

"Yes extremely," I reply.

"I have had the papers drawn up that officially make you the new sheriff of New York City," he says. "Isaac has stepped down."

"Good," I reply. In order to help solidify my claim of Sookie, Marten made me the sheriff of this city so that I can have more political power. He had offered me his royal title and territory but I told him that was not necessary. I did not want to take away from him what he had worked so hard to build.

"All these years I have taught you how to make your way through this world, now you will be teaching me," I smile, having no experience with vampire politics. He smiles back at me.

I go back to my room and put on a dark gray pinstriped tailored suit with a white dress shirt. I wear no tie. I meet Marten in the living room area and he is wearing a black suit with a black tie and white shirt.

We drive to the building in a black Audi R8 where the event is being held. It is a building that Marten owns.

We reach the building and the valet takes the car. There are dozens of people standing outside and I can feel all eyes on us. We walk into the building and into the enormous lobby where there are more vampires and some pets standing around. I hear some gasps and murmurs as we make our way to the doors of the conference room.

We reach the doors that lead to the large conference room where the vampire kings, queens, and council members are meeting.

The doors are heavily guarded by vampires but I use one of my gifts to make them stand aside and open the doors for us.

We walk in just as the elder council member Lucius Antonius is speaking, "There are many important issues that need to be addressed in the forthcoming nights..."

The crowd interrupts him with their murmurs of shock and surprise as Marten and I walk toward the center of the room near the place where the council members are sitting.

He turns his head to me. He appears to be shocked, fearful, and astonished to see me.

The crowd gets louder.

"Order, Order!" the Greek vampire Castor says.

The room starts to quiet down but there are still faint murmurs.

"Marius, it has been awhile since we have last seen you," Lucius Antonius says sounding startled.

"Yes I believe the last time we met was in 1789. You never gave me a proper goodbye," I say smirking. He stiffens even more. Fear is written all over his face. I remember that moment the last time when Marten and I went before the council together. Our meeting did not end well for them. They had blatantly disrespected me and my son so I had no choice but to end the existence of 7 of their council members. Lucius Antonius ran from the room like a coward as his companions burned. I thought about going after him and giving him the same fate, but I decided to let him go.

"Why are you here?" Castor asks somewhat timidly.

"I had an issue and a development that I needed to make known to you. Since you are the council and the individuals who supposedly govern our kind I thought I would share them with you."

They all shift uncomfortably from the seats as the murmurs from the crowd get louder.

"First of all I would like to inform you of my new position as sheriff of New York City."

The crowd gasps and erupts in loud chatter.

"Order!" Castor says loudly once again.

Lucius Antonius is looking even more shocked and worried. "Do you confirm Meijer?" he says his voice somewhat coarse.

"Yes, I have appointed my maker the sheriff of New York City. If he allowed me, I would give him my kingdom as he is more than worthy to be a king," Marten says firmly.

"Very well, the council recognizes you as the sheriff of New York City," Lucius Antonius says glancing at the other members.

"I told you that I had an issue that I needed to address before the council and the _esteemed_ kings and queens in this room as well," I say conservatively.

His features become even more worrisome as the other members look between me and him. The crowd becomes silent waiting for me to speak.

I look quickly around the room and back to Antonius.

"I want it to be known before you all that I have laid claim to Sookie Stackhouse, the bonded human of Eric Northman, king of Louisiana," I say in a calm and collected manner.

The onlookers explode in a cohesive gasp and the whispers erupt into a loud shocked chatter. I can feel all the eyes in the room looking back and forth between me and Northman. I turn to my right side and look straight at Northman who is standing beside a vampiress whom I assume is his wife. The look on his face is one of confusion, shock, and overwhelming anger.

**Eric's POV: Prior to Marius' and Marten's arrival at the summit conference**

I stand in the lobby with Pam surrounded by dozens of vampire kings and queens and their entourage waiting for the opening night of the summit to begin.

I observe the security that guards all the entrances and the security cameras on the walls. Since Rhodes, the security has been very tight for these large types of gatherings.

"You should have worn the gray suit," Pam remarks.

"Why do you question my attire?" I ask feeling exasperated.

"So that you can stand out in this sea of vampires dressed in nothing but black suits and black evening gowns," she replies. She is dressed in a gold and white Alexander McQueen gown.

"Maybe I just want to be a part of the crowd," I say dryly.

"That is such bull, master," she says.

Just as I am about to reply Rosamund appears, "She is so right, Eric. Since when have you ever just wanted to blend into a crowd? Though you look as handsome as ever in that black suit." She eyes me from top to bottom.

I rein in the fury that is building within me. "Go away," I scowl quietly.

"As much as I would like to heed your request I cannot," she says smiling. "I believe that we are sitting together." She hands me her seat number and it is next to mine. I let out a low growl.

I quickly remember the only reason why I wanted to see her. "Where is Etienne?" I ask her sharply.

"I don't know. He wanted a holiday so I sent him away. I haven't heard from him in two days," she says with a worried expression and I can tell that it is a genuine concern.

I can feel the tension in Pam. She is thinking the same thing I am. What if Sookie was with him?

Rosamund does not give me the time to contemplate that thought. "I fear for his safety Eric. I am well known in this world and wealthy, what if someone is holding him for ransom?"

She tries to touch my arm but I pull away. "I don't care," I tell her coldly. "In any case if that were true, don't you think the kidnappers would have contacted you by now?"

She doesn't say anything further.

Just then the doors to the conference room open.

We walk into the regal room. The seats are lined up in rows against each side of the large rectangular room. There are 15 chairs at the front of the room for the council members. Pam and I take our seats along with Rosamund.

I was eager to see Marten tonight to inquire if he has found anything new regarding Sookie. I look across to where he was assigned to sit and see that there are four chairs empty. I guess he is running late.

We all rise as the vampire council members make their way to their seats. They stand observing us for a few moments and then take their seats. We sit down after them.

Lucius Antonius is the first to speak, "It is a great honour to have all the prestigious king and queens from every territory here in New York City for our annual gathering. I know that many of you have travelled a long ways to be here and for that we are grateful. Despite the many oppositions and disagreements amongst us, I know that we all have one common goal; and that is to see our kind flourish in this world. On behalf of the council we welcome you."

The crowd erupts in cheer.

"There are many important issues that need to be addressed in the forthcoming nights..." Antonius says but he is cut off as the doors are opened.

The crowd gasps in shock as Marten walks in with another vampire. I quickly realize that this is no ordinary vampire; he has a special aura around him, no doubt everyone here can sense it as well. The crowd is clamouring at this intrusion.

"Order, Order!" Castor says.

The crowd quietens down.

"Marius, it has been awhile since we have last seen you," Lucius Antonius says. _Marius, Marten's maker,_ I think curiously. I have wanted to meet Marten's reclusive maker for hundreds of years and now he was standing here before my eyes. Perhaps Marten will introduce me later. I can sense that Antonius is not happy that he is here.

"Yes I believe the last time we met was in 1789. You never gave me a proper goodbye," he says with a smirk on his face. No doubt the rumours about his powers were true.

"Why are you here?" Castor asks him.

"I had an issue and a development that I needed to make known to you. Since you are the council and the individuals who supposedly govern our kind I thought I would share them with you," he says in a somewhat sarcastic tone. He continues on, "First of all I would like to inform you of my new position as sheriff of New York City."

The crowd gets a little louder again and Castor tries to bring them back to order.

"Do you confirm Meijer?" Antonius says in a rough voice.

"Yes, I have appointed my maker the sheriff of New York City. If he allowed me, I would give him my kingdom as he is more than worthy to be a king," Marten says determinedly. It is obvious that their bond is strong and that there is a great deal of respect and admiration.

"Very well, the council recognizes you as the sheriff of New York City," Lucius Antonius says to Marius in a resentful tone.

"I told you that I had an issue that I needed to address before the council and the _esteemed_ kings and queens in this room as well," he says calmly. He looks at the council members who are less than comfortable with his presence. He also glances around the room.

He speaks, "I want it to be known before you all that I have laid claim to Sookie Stackhouse, the bonded human of Eric Northman, king of Louisiana."

All I hear from his mouth is Sookie's name and after that a huge gasp of disbelief from the room. _Did he just say Sookie Stackhouse? _For a few moments my mind is reeling. I am only getting confusion from both Pam's and my emotions.

_Did he just say what I think I heard? _My answer is confirmed by the dozens and dozens of pairs of eyes that are now looking upon me. My mind is becoming clearer again. _He has my Sookie! _Rage starts to flow within me. He has kidnapped her and is holding her against her will. It all starts to make sense. No wonder we were not able to find her. There are still many questions clouding my mind, but right now the only thing that matters is getting Sookie back.

He looks right at me with a smug grin on his face that I will wipe off in just a few seconds.

I am ready to erupt. I get up from my chair and walk towards him ready to attack. My fangs descend. "She is mine. You cannot have her," I snarl in attack position.

Instantaneously, Marten is between us in a protective and vicious stance facing me. His fangs are down as he hisses at me clearly protecting his maker. He is ready to attack as well. I feel Pam beside me in attack mode too.

The atmosphere in the room turns chaotic; they are all shocked by the turn of events.

"Marten," Marius says calmly placing a hand on Marten's shoulder. He says something to him in a language that I don't understand but sounds familiar. It is a type of dialect of Old Norse. Marten eases up and gradually his fangs retract.

I can vaguely hear both Castor and Antonius trying to control the crowd and the situation as I continue to stare at the vampire who has my Sookie.

"Master," Pam says placing her hand on my shoulder. She is trying to calm me down. This is not the place for this; there are too many people watching. I retract my fangs as well and turn to face the council.

"Marius, surely you must be aware of some of our laws," Castor says. "One of which is that it is illegal for vampires to touch much less have another vampire's bonded. The consequences of which can be final death."

"I am well aware of that. But she is not a vampire and she has not been in his care for several months now. I found her on her own, not in the protection of any vampire or supe," he says. "I also know that it would not be illegal if I were to get your approval for the transfer of ownership, so to speak."

I stare at him lividly and at Castor. Certainly they will not agree to his reasoning.

The council looks amongst themselves with fear and confusion. This is a troubling sign.

"Is this true Northman that she has not been in your retinue for several months now?" Castor asks.

I glare at Marius. "Yes. But he is keeping her against her will. I am certain of that," I growl.

"I can assure you that it is quite the opposite. She is with me because she wants to be," he says in a factual tone.

"My master tells the truth," Marten says looking at the council. "He would never lie."

They remain silent quietly deliberating amongst themselves.

"All these new developments have occurred rather quickly that we cannot make a decision tonight. For now the human woman shall remain with Marius until further notice," Castor says. All the council members rise and are rushed out by members of the security team.

I am beyond furious. Security begins to escort out the other kings and queens from the room who are still beyond stunned. I stand there staring at him waiting for the others to leave.

Now it is just he, Marten, Pam, Rosamund, and I. Already infuriated I turn to look at Rosamund who is still standing close by watching the scene.

"Get out," I say thickly, with rage in my voice. She doesn't move. "Get out before I literally throw you out."

She looks like she is about to protest but my face must appear to be so menacing that she quickly complies. She walks briskly out of the room.

Once she leaves I turn back to the object of my rage. "You will give her back to me right now," I say.

He looks at me with a stoic expression. "Perhaps we should discuss this in a more private setting," he says.

He and Marten walk out of the room through another entrance. Pam and I follow closely behind them to the empty hallway. They walk toward a bank of elevators and Marten hands him a keycard. Marten owns this building.

Marius speaks to his child in their language. Marten says something back to him almost sounding defiant. Marius glares at him with a warning and Marten reluctantly nods his head.

The vampire walks into the elevator alone and motions for me to join him. I tell Pam to stay behind as well. The elevator doors close and he uses the keycard to take us higher up into the building.

The elevator stops and opens up to another room similar to the conference room downstairs but smaller. I wait for him to step out first and I follow after him. The lights are turned off but with the aid of my enhanced vision and the city lights coming from the large windows, I can see him clearly.

"Do you think you can control yourself long enough to have a civilized conversation?" he says.

I take the moment to size him up. He is almost as tall as me but maybe two inches shorter and has the same build. He has shoulder length wavy dark brown hair and blue eyes. Most would probably consider him handsome. Seething, I stare at him, "Yes."

"Good," he says. He walks to the other side of the room. "You want Sookie back," he states. "But I'm afraid that is not going to happen."

"You will give her back to me. She is mine, my bonded, but most important of all, my wife," I say in a threatening tone.

He smirks at me. "I have much respect for you Northman. I have much respect for most vampires who have persevered through this world for a long time. Also aided by the fact that my son speaks highly of you. So I will forgive you for your useless threat," he says in a low tone.

"The only thing I want from you is Sookie," I retort back.

"Naturally you do but like I said that is not going to happen. She is beyond perfection and you were a fool to let her go."

"I didn't let her go," I snap.

"Of course, I honestly didn't believe that you did. But you did do things that made it easier for her to leave you. So now you must deal with the fact that you have lost her because of that."

The calm tone of his voice is irritating. "I have not lost her, she is still mine. Whatever hold you have on her is what is keeping her from coming back to me," I spat.

"I see there is only way to settle this. You must hear it from her."

Finally I hear something that I want from this imbecile. "Take her to me right now," I demand.

"No, not tonight. But the next night..." he says but I cut him off.

"You will take me to her tonight," I order.

"Do not push me," he says in a grievous tone. "Like I was saying you can see her tomorrow evening. I will send you the address. Tonight she is spending time with her brother and nephew as well as the rest of her friends."

I stare at him bewildered. I had kept track of their telephone calls, mail and their movements. My people should have informed me that they left town.

"We have nothing further to discuss," he says. My nostrils flare as he walks by me to get to the elevator. I can smell Sookie's scent on him and I immediately lose it.

My fangs descend and swiftly, I grab him from behind and throw him across the room. He smashes into a wall leaving a large hole. In my vampire speed I go to him with the intent of ripping off his arm but he pushes me with such force that I smash into the wall on the other side of the room.

In a quick second he is in front of me with his hand around my neck effectively pinning me to the broken wall. Given his age, I know that he is stronger than me, but due to my overwhelming rage I successfully free myself from his grasp and pin him against the wall. He punches me in the face and I land on the floor. As he tries to lift me up, I punch him in the stomach hard and drops of blood spurt from his mouth. We continue our struggle for another minute or so until he has me pinned to the ground. Just as I am about to free myself, I start to feel a searing heat run through my body. I look into his eyes and see that they are no longer blue, but have turned bright red. The heat in my body is getting stronger; he is using his power on me.

"I won't hurt you this time because of Sookie. But if you ever provoke me again, the next time I won't be so lenient," he says in a severe voice.

He lets me go and stands up, ripping off the remnants of his tailored coat and dress shirt. He gives me one last look before breaking through a window, flying away.

**A/N: The long awaited Eric and Sookie reunion is coming up in the next chapter! I got hard work in real life to do in the next coming days so I will start writing it after. **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hey! I am back! The next update probably won't be for another week. I've got a bunch of things I need to do. Thank god it's almost Christmas. Time to relax and do nothing, but I will be going on vacation during my Christmas break. I will write another chapter before I take off. Ok so I was debating if I should write from Sookie or Eric's POV for the reunion and I couldn't decide. So it will be from the third person POV. **

**Sookie's POV:**

I have been a nervous wreck since last night when Marius asked me to talk to Eric tonight. From that point on, our meeting, our reunion was all I could think about. I had barely slept last night. I was still awake, tossing and turning in Marius' bed when he had returned. When he came in the room I immediately got up to greet him. I was going to ask him how the meeting went but instead he laid a smouldering kiss on me that lasted for several minutes. When he finally let me go I was breathless. He excused himself afterwards and took a long shower while I waited for him. When he returned he told me all that had happened at the gathering. He said that Eric was compliant and was eager to see me again. He also told me that his vampire wife was present. It left me a little sad. I didn't want to know anything more so for the rest of the night he just held me until he left to go rest for the day.

I spend the day babysitting my nephew and god daughter while Tara and Jason take their respective spouses shopping. Marten had set up department store accounts for them at every major shop in the city.

Emily and I sing a lullaby to Evan and soon he falls asleep. I sit back on the sofa thinking while Emily plays on the floor with her dolls and toys.

_Am I ready for this? _I think to myself. Having to meet Eric is inevitable. Knowing how he is, he probably still thinks of me as 'his property'. He would demand that I go back to him and would never accept the choices that I have made for my life. I was also a little afraid at how angry he must be at me for running away. That was enough to almost make me want to cancel out. But I wanted to ask him why he cheated on me. Why he damaged our relationship so severely. There were many things that I needed to tell him; I just hope that he would be reasonable and listen to me.

The day goes by and I return to Marten's penthouse apartment with my were guards. It is almost sunset and I take another shower. I walk into the closet and I have a hard time figuring out what to wear. The scorned woman in me wanted to wear something sexy; to show Eric what he gave up and could no longer have. After careful deliberation I choose a strapless, ruffled, light ash gray coloured dress that went to down to my mid-thigh. I lay it down on the bed and begin flattening my hair with a hair straightener. I also apply a little makeup.

When I am done I lie back on the bed and watch some crime scene drama on television. By this time my anxiety kicks into overdrive. I fidget nervously looking at the t.v. screen but not really paying attention to the show.

Just then Marius walks into the room. I get up and go to him.

"How was your day?" he asks me after releasing me from a hug.

"It was great," I tell him, "I can't wait to spend more time with them tomorrow. Jason and Tara wanted me to tell you and Marten 'thanks for the gifts'.

"It was no trouble at all Sookie. They are your family and therefore I will take care of them as well," he says placing a light kiss on my lips. "Are you almost ready to go?"

"Ummm yeah I just have to put on my dress," I respond. I walk back to the bed and pick it up. "What time is Eric coming?"

"I told him to be at Marten's other home at 9pm, but he is probably already there," he says.

I turn around to look at him, "We're not meeting him here?" I ask sounding confused.

"No," he says. "Marten has another apartment near the park that he uses for business meetings and feedings."

"Oh," I say. I guess that was practical.

I put my dress on in the bathroom and we head out. We arrive about 30 minutes later at another building near Central park.

I let out deep breath as I stare up at the windows where there was light shining. My anxiety was rising even higher knowing that Eric was somewhere in there. Marius takes a hold of my hand and leads me in. We take the elevator up and enter a plush foyer. As we walk down the hallway, I glance quickly into one of the open doors and see several human women sitting on the sofas looking bored.

"Who are they?" I ask Marius.

"Blood donors and Marten's entertainment," he replies.

"They're beautiful," I say. "He feeds from all of them?"

"Yes, he has a rather large appetite," he says. I can't help but wonder if he has fed from them too. A slight tinge of jealousy creeps up in me.

He looks down at me and smiles. "They're too tall and skinny for my taste."

I smile back at him. We walk into a room which appears to be a study. There are books on the shelves and a laptop and telephone on the glass desk in the center of the room. The steel blinds on the windows and balcony door are down.

The telephone rings and Marius goes to answer it. He speaks Old Norse to the caller and hangs up the phone a minute later.

"Northman is waiting in one of the other rooms on this floor," he says looking at me intently. "Did you want me to be in there with you?"

I breathe in deeply again and take a moment to think. "Ummm, I don't think that would be a good idea. I'll be fine."

"I will be right back and tell him that you will be there in a few minutes."

He walks out of the room and closes the door. I close my eyes, trying to mentally prepare myself for what was to come.

**Eric's POV:**

I pace back and forth in the conference room waiting for Sookie. As I pace I look around the room to try and find a way out with Sookie, if need be. There are no windows; so I couldn't fly out with her. I tapped on the walls and they are reinforced steel. The ventilation shaft was too small for myself or for her. The only way out was through the door. Just right then the door begins to open and I stop in my tracks. But it is not her; it is that imbecile vampire.

"Where is she!" I demand.

He walks in and stops about three feet away from the door. "She will be here in a few moments. I wanted to make a few things clear before she comes in." His expression is neutral.

I stare at him waiting for him to speak.

"First don't even try to take her against her will. You wouldn't get very far and I would be _very displeased_ if you tried. Second, you will not harm her in any way," he says.

I sneer at him, "You think I would hurt _my bonded? _I don't care what the council says; she is mine and always will be. And I will not take her by force. She will leave here with me tonight because it will be what she desires."

"We shall see. I meant what I said. Do not try to harm her because I will know," he says.

"I would rather that you did not listen in but regardless, the outcome will be the same," I point out.

"I didn't say that I would be listening in or watching for that matter. This room is soundproof and there are no electronic devices."

"Then how would you know..." I freeze instantaneously and the anger within me builds.

"How dare you give her your blood!" I seethe, my voice thick with rage as my fangs pop out.

"It was for a good reason which I am sure that she will share with you," he states.

"You had no right to..!" I yell, but he interrupts me.

"If you are going to act this way, then I suggest that we delay this meeting until you have calmed down. I do not want your anger to upset Sookie."

I loathed the fact that he was right. Sookie didn't respond well to anger. I also needed to be calm in order to convince her to leave with me. I use all my willpower to lessen the rage that was within me and slowly my fangs retract.

He stares at me until I am more composed. "I will bring Sookie." He leaves the room and closes the door.

I probe our bond to check if I can sense her. But as it has been for the past several months, I sense nothing.

It has already been five minutes and still she has not come in. I start to walk to the door to see what is keeping her. Suddenly the door handle turns and it is Sookie. She peeks her head in the room tentatively and looks at me. The look on her face is that of apprehension and uncertainty. After a long moment she opens the door even more and walks in. She closes the door behind her and takes a few steps into the room; she continues to stare at me.

We continue our staring match for a few more minutes, both of us unable to speak despite the fact that there was so much that needed to be discussed.

**Third Person POV:**

Sookie takes a few more steps to close the gap between her and Eric. He didn't appear to be angry at her but relieved.

"You look well," Eric says. He takes the time to assess her appearance. She is even more radiant and beautiful than ever. Her body was a little more leaner and muscular. Her skin is flawless and her hair is longer. He focuses on her upper arm. One of the scars that she received from the fairies was gone. His temper threatens to overtake him again knowing that it was due to Marius' blood.

"Thanks, you look good too," she said taking a deep breath. He was wearing a light blue shirt that matched his eyes and dark blue jeans. His shiny blonde hair fell around his shoulders. She had almost forgotten how devastatingly handsome and stunning he was. She also noticed how pink his complexion was as well. Obviously he was feeding from others and probably doing more. Her jealousy and anger began to rise.

_Stop it Sookie, you're not with him anymore, _she tells herself. She took another deep breath. "I suppose you were wondering where I was," she says nonchalantly.

He looks angry now. "That's an understatement," he says.

"I was in Canada. Alberta, to be exact," she tells him.

"With that vampire?" Eric sneers.

"For part of the time. I lived in a town called Canmore for a few months with a wonderful lady who helped me when I was down."

"And?" Eric snipped.

"And then I met Marius again. He took me away from this awful world for a brief amount of time and to a place where I found happiness," she said.

"Where you found happiness," he said in a somewhat sarcastic tone. He took a few steps closer to get a stronger whiff of her scent. He could smell Marius on her. It was not only on her skin and clothes, but also within her. He could smell the vampires' blood radiating from her pores. Thankfully though, he did not smell semen or her arousal. But still that did not mean she was not intimate with him. Eric had added another person to his list of vampires that he was going to kill. He would find a way to kill Marius for touching her. _What did she mean by again? _

"What do you mean you met him again?" he said with a raised voice.

"I need you to listen to what I have to say," she said in a defiant tone. "Then I will listen to you."

Eric contemplated her request for a moment and nodded his head.

"First of all I wasn't completely honest with you," she said.

He stared at her, his eyes blazing, waiting for her to continue.

"I know that I said I could cope with your marriage and gradually accept it. I lied. I now know there was no way I could live that way with you," she said.

"But you were the one..." Eric snapped.

"Please let me finish, then you will have your chance to speak," she said, raising her hand.

She continued on, "At the time I truly did believe that our love was enough. That is was enough to overcome all the problems that we had. I thought that I could get used to the way things were now, that we could continue on as though nothing had changed. But I was wrong. Our relationship began dying the moment you married her."

Eric was about to say something but she quickly kept talking, "I know Eric that it wasn't your choice; you didn't want to marry her. It was ultimately my decision to let you marry her. You had given me other options but those options came with consequences. My brother's life was being threatened. There was no way I was going to make that sacrifice. If I could back in time, I would make the same choice."

Sookie took a deep breath. "What I am trying to say is that we can't go back Eric. We can't go back to the way things were. I know we can't cut our bond, but that doesn't mean we have to be together. I need to move on with my life. I want to be happy. I want to eventually be with someone who will only belong to me as I to him."

Eric's face darkened. He mulled over Sookie's words. The anger that he tamed within him only a few minutes ago was beginning to build again.

"You do not want to be with me anymore? You don't make that decision Sookie. You are my bonded, that means you are mine," he seethed. "Is this because of that fool? You didn't answer my question earlier Sookie. Did you meet him before Canada?"

Sookie knew that he was getting angry but she was getting irate too. "This isn't about Marius Eric. Even if he wasn't here my decision would still be the same. You know why I don't want to be with you anymore."

He was incensed. "Where did you meet him?" he said angrily.

Sookie was glowering now. "If you must know, I met him in Shreveport. The night I went out alone with Tara."

Before Sookie could process what was happening, Eric smashed one of the steel chairs against the wall. He picked up another one and did the same thing. Sookie took a few steps back fearful of the display. In an instant Marius came into the room. He pulled Sookie behind him and lowered his fangs in a protective stance. Eric's fangs were out as well and he looked like he was going to attack him at any second.

_This is going to end badly, _Sookie thought to herself panicked. She quickly thought of something that might defuse the situation. After months of putting up walls, she finally opened up the bond to Eric and sent him calm. The emotions that he felt and that were sent by Sookie hit him like a tidal wave. He looked up at Sookie shocked. Sookie put her hand on Marius' shoulder.

"Everything is alright," she said calmly. She quickly removed her hand just in case Eric got angry again. Marius stood up slowly and retracted his fangs. Eric did the same.

"Could you give me a few more minutes? I still need to discuss some things with Eric," Sookie told him.

Marius stared at Eric a minute longer and looked at Sookie. "I'll be outside if you need me." He didn't touch her as he knew that would probably set off Eric even further. Marius didn't want to get Eric agitated any more. He could feel Sookie's determination to settle things with Eric and he wanted that as well. But he also knew that the blonde vampire was not going to give her up that easily. Marius was also certain that Eric would try and send him to his final death. He had a small hope that Eric would be rational and let her go so that he would not have to kill him. He didn't want to cause Sookie any more pain.

Marius went to the door and closed it behind him. Sookie turned back to face Eric was again, the bond between them still open. "As I was saying before you lost it," she said exasperatedly. "I met him in Shreveport at the night club. We talked a little and he asked me to dance. Then I talked to him a little more later in the evening. That was all we did," she said.

"Really?" he said in a sarcastic tone. He could sense that she was telling the truth but she was hiding something. "Were you attracted to him?"

She was feeling angry again. "As a matter of fact I was," she stated firmly. "But like I said, I didn't do anything with him."

"And you kept this from me? When you told me over and over again that you only loved me. Now I find out that you lied to me and was unfaithful." he growled.

"Oh my god! You are such a hypocrite!" she almost yelled. "You are trying to make me feel guilty about nothing but yet you've done something far more worse!"

Eric stared blankly at her. He knew what she was referring to. He was certain before that she knew about what had happened. He would explain and reason with her about that. He would ask for her forgiveness and tell her that it would never happen again. She would forgive him, but the question remained was how she found out.

Sookie waited for him to say something but he continued to stare at her. With the bond open, she could feel his turmoil but yet he still didn't say anything.

"Are you really just going to stand there and pretend to look like you don't know what I'm talking about?" she said.

"How did you find out?" he finally said.

"Seriously? That's your response? No apology, no explanation? How I found out is beside the point! You cheated on me! Not only with your wife, but with other women!" she yelled. "You put the final nail in our relationship! So don't try and guilt trip me for something I have never done!"

"Sookie what you saw..." Eric said but Sookie cut him off.

"What I saw was something that ripped my heart in two. It almost killed me!" she said, tears forming behind her eyes.

He could feel the hurt and pain that Sookie carried. He knew that he was the cause of that. He didn't know what to say. He wanted to drop to his knees and beg for her forgiveness. And he did just that.

Eric dropped to his knees, his eyes filled with regret and sadness. Sookie was stunned as she looked at Eric before her. A bloody tear shedding from his right eye.

"I have lived a long life on this earth Sookie and I have never regretted any of the things that I have done until now. What you saw is something that I will regret forever. I never meant to hurt you so deeply and I will spend the rest of eternity making it up to you," he said, his voice almost breaking.

More tears shed from Sookie's eyes, her heart went out to him. Every fibre of her being wanted to get down on her knees and embrace him. But she couldn't. It would send him the wrong message.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and looked into his eyes. "Please get up Eric. I do forgive you. You have been there for me during my worst moments. You picked me up when I couldn't get up. You carried me when I couldn't walk anymore. What you did, I once thought was unforgivable, but not anymore."

Eric had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "Sookie..." he said as he got up and walked forward towards her.

She stepped back and raised her hand. "Eric, I forgive you for what happened, but that doesn't mean we're back together. We're two different people. Our paths are no longer parallel but separate."

He reached out to grab her hand but she took a step back. "Eric, don't. It's over. I can't be with you while you are married to someone else. Can't you see that?" she said sadly. "You've caused me enough heartache. I want to move on with my life just as you have."

Eric looked at her confused, "What do you mean? I haven't moved on, if you would just let me explain..."

"Eric I don't want to know what happened that night. Whatever your explanation is, there is no excuse. What you do now is no longer any of my business. You are free to do whatever you want, just as I am. All I want from you is for you to let me go."

Eric was having trouble reining in his anger and frustration. She wasn't even giving him a chance to talk and explain things from his point of view. They were both silent for a few seconds until Eric spoke. "Are you finished?"

Sookie mulled it over for a several seconds and then nodded.

"Good, now you will listen to what I have to say," he said gruffly.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. "You are right," he said. "What I did, there is no excuse. But I need for you to know how it happened. Before that night I was already feeling frustrated and angry, mentally and physically, about everything that had gone wrong in our life. The fact that you were already pushing me away didn't help either."

"So you went out and had sex with another woman, I mean _women, _that you could find?" Sookie scoffed.

"Hear me out," Eric said in a low tone. "I was in a terrible mood that night when I arrived at that party. I spent a few hours talking to some old acquaintances and taking care of the business that Rosamund asked of me. She never approached me the whole time I was there. I stepped out for a few minutes and that's when I noticed a scent. It was then that my vampire senses started to kick into overdrive. I couldn't control the urge to seek it out. When I found the source, it was a woman."

Sookie was starting to tense up. She knew what was next. Half of her wanted to run out of the room and the other half wanted to know.

"I was drawn to not only her scent but to her blood. Rosamund was there and she had told me that the woman was half fairy. I was fighting the inner battle to leave but due to my negative emotions, I was losing the battle. She pricked the woman's skin and a drop of her blood flowed out. My vampire instincts took over. I let it take control until it was too late."

He looked away from her, feeling remorse.

Sookie gulped and wiped away a tear. "Well now I know everything," she said bitterly.

He looked backed up to her, "That is not everything Sookie. I only let it go as far as the half fairy. I never had sex with Rosamund."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? What about now? What about the many women you have probably been with since I left!" she said.

"I haven't been with anyone since that night Sookie."

"Really? Okay so why is it then that your cheeks look so rosy? I seriously doubt that you have been living on synthetic blood Eric, since you could never stand the stuff when we were together. And you and others have always said that blood and sex almost always go together," she said accusingly.

Eric was starting to lose patience. "I have only drunk from men. It took me weeks after you left to finally drink human blood. I have only taken their blood to keep up my strength for when you return to me."

Sookie probed the bond and found that he was telling her the truth. "So you mean you haven't been with anyone else?"

"No," he said.

"Not even your wife?" she whispered.

"There has been no one else Sookie. The only woman I want is you," he said.

Her thoughts and feelings were disarrayed. She had spent months thinking that Eric had reverted back to his old lifestyle. That he had spent all his time feeding and fucking every woman he met. She had thought that his relationship with his vampire wife had changed and grown. Now she had just found out that she was wrong.

She felt so overwhelmed that she went pulled out a chair and sat down. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Eric took this chance and kneeled down in front of her, slowly took both of her hands in his. She gasped at his touch as he softly rubbed her hands. She was fighting off the strong urge to let him take her in his arms.

"Lover, please come back to me. We will leave this country and everything else to make a fresh start," he whispered into her ear. He inhaled her scent as he began to lean closer to her.

Sookie was almost succumbing to her desires to reach out to him until she remembered where they were. She thought of Marius. She felt guilty, not only because he did not deserve for her to do this to him, but also because of the way she felt about him. Her mind also went to Rosamund. No matter what, she was still Eric's wife. The thought was like a splash of cold water to her face.

She opened her eyes and pushed him away. He let her. She abruptly stood up. "I'm not going anywhere with you Eric. I told you, we're done. You've already broken my heart once. I'm not going to let you do it again."

She turned around to walk toward the door, but Eric grabbed her arm. He spun her around to face her.

He looked angry. "You said I've broken your heart? What about mine Sookie? You haven't even asked me about how I have been since you disappeared. These long and dreadful months have been nothing but pure agony and torture. A pain so strong that I have never experienced in my long existence. After months of worry and fear for you I see you again and you are with another man. How do you think that makes me feel? Don't answer that because you know that answer!"

Hurt, jealousy, and rage was flowing through the bond. But the hurt and sadness that he felt was the most overwhelming one.

"I've caused you heartache Sookie? You are not the only one who has been hurt," Eric says. "Obviously the broken heart you say I gave you wasn't that significant if you are already with another man after just a few short months," he added bitterly.

"You don't even know what Marius and I have..." Sookie said but he cut her off.

"As with me and Rosamund. You have been just making assumptions and running away without letting me explain," he said.

"What! I saw you fucking another woman! How much more explanation do I need? You obviously wanted that lifestyle again so go ahead and have it. But I'm not going to be a part of that!" she said angrily.

"See? There you go again making assumptions. I can make some too. I can comment on how you have been fucking another vampire just only a few months after claiming me how much you loved me. Now I am starting to wonder if you ever did love me especially since now I am seeing how easy you are with other men."

Sookie slaps him as hard as she could just a second later. "How dare you say that to me! You have no idea what you are talking about! If it wasn't for him I would have died."

Eric steps back and looks into her eyes, shocked. "What do you mean?" he whispers.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, "When he found me I was already in bad shape. I wasn't even living. The hurt and sadness that I felt was suffocating me that it even haunted me in my dreams. I barely slept, ate, barely did anything at all. One day he took one look at me and told me that I was dying. I would die if I continued on that way. He gave me his blood so that I could that the rips and scars would mend in my heart."

Eric probes the bond even more deeper. She was telling him the truth. He could sense that her life force had weakened significantly at one point in time. The remorse that he feels gets even heavier and a single bloody tear falls down his cheek. He began questioning whether or not he now deserved her.

"I am sorry," he says, his tone more gentler.

"Like I said to you earlier Eric, I accept your apology. Now please accept mine. I am sorry that I ran away from you and causing you worry. I didn't know what else to do," she starts to cry.

"I will Sookie, but only if you come back to me. I know you have forgiven me but please give me the chance to make it up to you," he begs.

Before Sookie could respond, there is a knock on the door. Eric quickly wipes away the bloody tear just as Marten walks in.

"I see that you have redecorated my conference room Eric," Marten says as he looks around the room. Eric stares at him with irritation.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but it was urgent. Your wife is outside demanding to come in and see you. She says it is an extremely important matter."

"Tell her to go away," Eric snaps.

"I tried, but you know how she is," Marten smirks.

Sookie rolls her eyes, "You should go Eric. We are done here anyway." She moves closer to the door with Marten.

Eric almost tries to stop her but decides against it. She had forgotten to close the bond, and he could feel that her emotions were in chaos. She was questioning the choices that she had made. For now he would let her go. "If that is what you wish Sookie. We will talk and see each other again very soon." He walks up to her and runs his hand down her arm. He looks into her eyes intently for several more seconds before heading out the door.


	23. Chapter 23

**Eric's POV:**

I look at Sookie one last time before leaving the room. She doesn't look back but rather stares at her hands, fidgeting her fingers.

As I walk out I continue to evaluate Sookie's emotions through our bond. She hadn't closed it yet. She was still hurt and very stubborn but at the same time there was hope. She was conflicted. I was certain that she was very adamant about never returning to me, but I could feel that had now changed. I could also sense the emotions she felt towards him, that ancient vampire. I try to suppress my anger.

As I reach the elevator Sookie closes the bond again. I think about what I have to do next in order to get her back. Firstly, I must get the council to agree that she is still mine. Once she is back with me then I will do everything in my power to win her affections back. I silently think about my plan until I reach the main floor. The doors open and Rosamund is standing in front of me with a smug smile on her face.

Damn, I had almost forgotten that she was down here.

"What do you want?" I demand, frowning.

"We should discuss this in my car," she replies.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," I tell her, walking away from her. I leave the building and the valet hands me my keys and I get into my car.

As I get in, she swiftly jumps into the passenger side.

I look at her angrily, "Get out before I throw you out the window," I growl.

"Eric I have a huge problem," she laments. A single bloody tear falls down her cheek.

A few more start to form around her eyes. I don't know if this is authentic or if it's another one of her games.

"You have one minute to explain," I say.

"Etienne has been taken. My child Eric, they took my child!" she cries out.

"Who took him?" I respond.

"Marten and his maker," she says as she looks up toward the building.

I stare up at the building as well for a brief moment before shifting the gears and driving off.

"How do you know he was taken by them?" I say firmly, driving towards the park.

"Like I told you yesterday I hadn't heard from him for awhile and I was beginning to get worried. It was about early this morning that I started to sense him again. I could feel that he was near. I took a few of my men to locate him. As I got closer I could feel that he was weak and dire. My men assessed the building and found that it was heavily guarded. I also had my men find out who owned that building. They said it belonged to someone named Alex Hawthorne."

"How do you know that's Marten?"

"Because that's one of his aliases. He used that name when we first met in Bath," she tells me.

_Intriguing, _I think to myself. It is apparent that he wanted her to know that he had Etienne. But there was more to this story.

"Why is he holding Etienne? What did you do?" I demand.

"I didn't do anything!" she cries out. "Neither has Etienne."

"Except..." she says quietly.

"Spit it out!" I yell.

"I wanted to do something nice for you, something that would earn me your favour. I knew that Sookie had left. Hell every vampire on the planet knew she was gone. I knew that ruthless, conniving vampires would try to seek her out. So I sent Etienne to Canada to look for her before she got hurt by one of them."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I growl.

"Because I wanted it to be a surprise! I thought that if I found her safely then you would look at me more favourably. Etienne obviously did find Sookie and now he is paying the price for it," she says.

"There's more that you are keeping from me," I say sternly.

"Yes, I think that Felipe had something to do with why Sookie left. I don't any proof, but I am certain that he had something to do with that. Every time I went to Las Vegas to go see him, he always talked about her. He would say things like how she was going to eventually live with him and how he would make a lot of money off her by using her talent."

I grip the steering wheel harder as I drive through the park faster than usual. I don't believe what she says entirely, but I think the part about De Castro was true.

I mull over what she has just said.

"Eric? So are you going to help me get Etienne back?" Rosamund asks.

I stay silent for a few minutes thinking about my next move. I can use this as leverage to get Sookie back. I can also finally interrogate Etienne about what he knows. "Alright I will help you on this matter. I will confront Marten and his maker when the time is right."

She sighs and smiles happily at me.

"Thank you so much Eric. I knew you would help me," she says. She moves closer and tries to hug me, but I push her away with one hand.

"Just because I am assisting you, doesn't mean that you can touch me," I say angrily.

"I was just trying to show my gratitude toward my husband," she says in a soft tone.

I abruptly stop the car causing her to jerk forward.

"Jesus Eric you could have warned me," she whines.

I ignore what she says, "You can leave now. I will contact you shortly."

"Hmmpf," she says annoyed.

Just as she is getting out I tell her, "Oh and by the way Rosamund." She looks back at me. "If I find out that _you _had something to do with Sookie leaving, you will wish that you were never made a vampire."

"I swear that I would never do anything to hurt you Eric," she says. She looks at me one last time and leaves. I watch her get into her own car that had been following us.

I drive back to my hotel.

When I enter my room, Pam is sitting on the lounge chair waiting for me.

"Well?" she asks curiously.

"She is angry and hurt still. I need more time to convince her to come back to me," I say as I take off my jacket. I open up a bottle of blood.

"What about her relationship with Marius?" she asks hesitantly.

I slam the bottle down on the coffee table causing it to break. "It is nothing. Nothing will come from their _relationship," _I sneer.

I tell Pam to leave and I spend the rest of the night doing my work and thinking about how to approach this new development. As the sun gets closer to rising, I lie on my bed thinking about Sookie.

**Sookie's POV:**

I stand under the showerhead letting the warm water soothe as I think about Eric. Yesterday evening was the first time in months that I had seen him. He had surprised me. I thought that he would try to deny cheating on me, but he didn't. Not only did he take responsibility, but he also went down on his knees asking for forgiveness. When I saw him I realized that the feelings that I had for him were still there; maybe not as strong as they once were, but nevertheless they were still there.

Setting aside those thoughts for now, I wash and put conditioner in my hair. In a few hours Marius and Marten were taking me to a nightclub opening. It was the opening of The Bank New York. Apparently that was why Marten was in Las Vegas when I was last there.

I turn off the water and wrap myself in a warm fluffy towel. I put a smaller towel on my head. I go into the closet to look for a nice dress to wear tonight.

There are more than a hundred dresses in this closet. I settle upon a sexy tight, strapless black dress that had a full skirt, a black belt and went down to my mid-thigh. It wasn't entirely black as there were a few yellow stripes around the skirt. I pick out my underwear. I choose a strapless black satin bra and matching black satin panties.

After choosing my attire, I put on a pale pink robe and carry out my clothes to the bedroom. I find Marius lying on the bed with his eyes closed, having some downtime.

"Hi," I smile down at him. He smiles back. I lay my clothes at the foot of the bed and go to sit next to him.

"Did you have a good day?" he asks, while rubbing my lower back.

"Yes I did, Tara and I had so much fun. We got to see the Statue of Liberty, the Met, and the Empire State Building. It was phenomenal!"

"I am glad you had a great day," he says. I smile down at him. He had a strange look on his face, as though he wanted to ask me something else.

"It's not too late," he says. "If you want to return to Northman then I will not stop you." He tried to keep a stoic expression, but I could see the hurt behind his eyes.

I turn away for a moment and look to him again. "No I haven't changed my mind. I don't want to be with him if he is going to continue to cause me hurt in the future. His marriage is for a hundred years. I don't think I have the willpower to wait that long," I lightly laugh.

"If I could do something about that, would you return to him?" he asks me.

My eyes widen. I know what he is referring to. He was willing to kill Rosamund for me in order to set Eric free. "No!" I gasp. "I may despise his wife, but I don't want to have her killed. I couldn't live with myself."

"You didn't answer my question," he says.

Would I return to Eric if his wife was out of the way? I deliberate for a moment and breathe in deeply. "I don't know. Obviously I wouldn't be here if he had never married her. But as for going back to him, I'm not sure. He still betrayed my trust and hurt me deeply. So that is why I don't think I would, but on the other hand, I still have feelings of love for him. I can't help but feel that way still."

He pulls me onto his lap. "I know that you still love him. Strong feelings like that just don't away so easily. But I want you to give me a chance. I will wait for you until you are ready," he tells me gently.

"Thank you," I smile at him. I give him a gentle kiss.

Soon things start heating up and we continue to make out on the bed. He moves me underneath him and strips off his shirt. I run my hands down his chest and back as he kisses my neck and collarbone. I untie my robe to give him an indication that he can go down further. I haven't put my underwear on yet, and he cups my breast with his hand, rolling my nipple between his thumb and finger causing me to moan. Just as he is about to put his mouth on my breast a voice interrupts us.

A man clears his throat. "Sorry to interrupt father, but I thought that Sookie might be hungry."

I look towards the doorway mortified. Marten is standing there with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.

Marius stares back at him with an annoyed expression while shielding my body with his. "Leave us now Marten and close the door," he says.

He lifts himself off of me and ties my robe. "Would you like to eat dinner?"

I nod and sit up. I put on a t-shirt and yoga pants. We walk to the dining room holding hands.

The chef serves me the first course; a bowl of creamy mushroom soup.

"Are you excited about the opening?" I ask Marten who is sitting across from me sipping on a glass of blood.

"Not really, it's the same old thing. The only reason I am opening this club was to just to piss off Felipe because I detest him. I own 60 percent, something which he was not too happy to agree with. Eventually I will own all of it and that will piss him off even more," he laughs. "He wants to open more clubs in Buffalo and New Jersey."

"Oh," I respond. "How long have you known Felipe?"

"Since the first year he was made a vampire. He was clumsy and an idiot. I found him one night in Manacor feeding off a small boy and his sister. He had already drained the girl and the boy was close to dying, but I saved him. I threw Felipe off of him. Like a coward he ran away. I could have gone after him, but I wanted to save the boy's life instead. I gave him my blood and carried him home. After that I gave the girl a proper burial."

I lose my appetite. "How can anyone be so cruel," I whisper.

"We are not all like that Sookie," he says. "There are some of us who don't prey on the weak. Which is why Felipe is still alive."

I finish my dinner and we all head back to our rooms to change. Marius decides to change in one of the guest rooms to give me privacy.

I do my hair and makeup first, then put my underwear and dress on.

An hour later we are ready to go and head out in a limousine. We stop at Marten's other apartment building first to pick up his date.

He gets out and comes back into the limo a few minutes later with a gorgeous young woman who has honey blonde hair and long tanned legs. Her eyes are green and her white printed strapless dress clings to her slender frame.

They settle into their seats and she eyes me, waiting to be introduced.

Marten sees us looking at each other and grins, "Where are my manners? Natasha this is Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie, this is Natasha."

"A pleasure to meet you," she says holding out her hand. Her accent is Australian.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you too," I smile, shaking her hand.

I lean back next to Marius and put my hand on his thigh.

She looks at Marius and at my hand. I decide to lower my shields. She was relieved because she thought that I was Marten's other date for the night as he usually has two or more dates when he goes out. She was thinking about the last time she went out with him and had to share him with three other girls. They got into a huge catfight after he left them in the bedroom.

I put my shields back up and smile nervously.

We reach the nightclub and there are hundreds of humans and vampires waiting outside. We step out of the limo and dozens of photographers take our pictures as we head inside.

The nightclub is similar to the one in Las Vegas, only the colours of the drapes and chairs were more vibrant. The dance floor area was bigger too. We walk up to the VIP section and to our reserved table. We sit down and Marius puts his arm around me.

"Would you like anything to drink Sookie?" he asks.

"Hmmm... I haven't drank in awhile. I'll try a martini," I respond. Marten motions for a server to come to our table and she takes our orders.

We have a pretty good view of the dance floor and I watch the mixture of humans and vampires gyrating to dance music.

We sit there sipping our drinks talking amongst ourselves. I learn a little more about Natasha. She tells me that she is a student at Columbia and is working on getting her master's degree in engineering. She asks me about my education and I get embarrassed. I tell her that I didn't have a chance to finish but I want to return to school soon.

We chat for a half hour until she asks me something.

"Sookie since these men will not ask, do you want to dance?" she smiles.

I glance at Marius who only grins. "Okay," I reply.

She holds my hand as we walk down to the dance floor. A bouncer clears a small area for us and we begin dancing. The dance song changes to a tune about table dancing. I start to enjoy myself; I missed this.

The third song later we are still dancing and I am having a good time. I spin around and suddenly freeze as I look up towards the entrance. It's Eric and Pam. I could feel myself panicking and I tell Natasha that I am going to sit down. She follows me back to our table.

"Are you alright?" Marius asks me.

"I'll be fine. I am just surprised," I tell him. I gulp down another martini trying to focus on staring at the table and not at the crowd.

As I am on my third drink, Marten speaks, "Sookie would you like to dance with me?"

I look up at him surprised and I look at Marius.

"You don't need my permission Sookie. It is up to you," he says squeezing my hand.

I smile at him and turn to Marten. "Yes that would be nice."

Marten leads me back down to the dance floor by putting his hand on my back. I can practically feel everyone's eyes on us as we dance but that doesn't stop me from enjoying myself. He was an amazing dancer. During the second song he moves in closer and put his hands on my swaying hips. He whispers a joke into my ear and I laugh.

A few seconds later I hear a voice behind me, "I see that you waste no time in keeping your bed warm Sookie."

I turn around to see Pam frowning at me. "I take it that you are not only screwing his maker but him as well."

I glare at her angrily. Just as I am about to say something Marten speaks, "That's out of line Pam," he says harshly. "Apologize to her now."

"Why should I? What I have said is clearly true," she snaps back.

"You don't know anything Pam!" I yell.

A second later Eric is standing beside her just as she is about to retort back. "That's enough Pam!" he says angrily. "Apologize to Sookie."

"Please accept my apology," she says, with no hint of remorse in her voice.

"Accepted," I say, still glaring at each other.

"Sookie I will take you back to our table," Marten says behind me.

Just as he grabs my hand, Eric says sternly, "She is not going anywhere with you."

I hear the clicking sound of Marten's fangs and a swishing sound. Marius is beside me now. Pam and Eric's fangs have come out as well.

_Oh fuck, _I think to myself.

**I was going to write more but I am heading to the airport in a few hours. So when I return I will begin on the next chapter. Merry Christmas everybody! Have fun and safe travels to everyone!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hey people! What a great vacation! I wish it never ended but it did and it's sad LOL. I should be doing work right now but instead I decided to write the next chapter before the start of the busy week. It's a little short again, but what can I do... can't stay up all night writing, though I wish that I could. Happy new year! That's weird about the dead birds falling from the sky in the states, like a bad omen or something. Just another one of my random thoughts lol. **

**Eric's POV**:

I can only stare into Sookie's eyes as Marten and his maker stand beside her. She is clearly worried and frightened as Marten looks about ready to attack me. I sense that Pam is on the verge of attacking as well.

My anger increases tenfold as I watch Marius pull Sookie closer to him by putting his arm around her waist as though to protect her from me.

"Stand down Pam. I don't want to hurt you," Marten grumbles.

"Ha! You should be worrying about how I am going to hurt you. I know all of your second-rate combat tricks," she retorts. Although I have the utmost faith in Pam's skills to defend herself, she is no match for Marten.

"Pamela, step back," I tell her. I look around the room to see that everyone is staring at us and is silent.

"Eric you should leave," Sookie says quietly.

"No. I need to speak privately with you," I say firmly.

"Perhaps you should listen to her. Now is not the time to talk. I suggest that you leave now," Marius says, his arm still holding onto Sookie.

I take a step closer, viciously looking him in the eyes. "Do not try to order me around," I tell him in my most lethal tone. "She is still mine and no one will keep her from me."

His fangs come out and there is a slight hint of red forming in his pupils. My own fangs slide out and I begin to clench my fists. I try to figure out a way to strike him without hurting Sookie.

Sookie stares back and forth between us as her heart rate and breathing increases. "Please don't," she whispers looking up at him.

He flinches for a brief second and the hint of red in his eyes disappears.

"My, my, what do we have here?" a voice asks behind the crowd that had gathered watching us.

We break our staring contest and turn to see the crowd parting. De Castro and Victor Madden walk towards us.

"Eric," Madden says with a sneer on his face. "Causing trouble in the middle of Felipe's new club are we?"

"Stay out of my business Madden," I say sharply.

"The way you conduct yourself in _my _establishment becomes my business Northman," De Castro says.

"Don't you mean my establishment Felipe?" Marten says with a smirk on his face. "After all, your role is that of a shareholder if anything."

De Castro frowns but Marten only smiles back at him. It is only then that I notice Rosamund standing beside De Castro glaring at Sookie. She is glaring back.

"Perhaps we should all go into my office and let the party continue out here," Marten says. He glances at his maker and starts walking toward the stairs. We all follow. Marten turns around at the top of the stairs and addresses the crowd: "Pardon the short interruption folks, but to make amends, drinks are free for the rest of the night!" They all cheer for him and he takes a short bow.

We reach his office and he closes the door. He goes to stand beside Sookie and Marius.

For a few seconds we are all silent until De Castro speaks up. "Ahh Mizz Stackhouse I see that you are well. You had us all worried when you disappeared," he says, his accent thick. He looks her up and down settling on her breasts for too long.

Sookie appears uncomfortable with his gaze on her and she moves even closer to Marius. "Thank you for your concern, even though it was not needed," she says, her voice firm.

"Your scent has changed as well," he says. "She doesn't smell like you anymore Eric. Lost your woman to another vampire?" he leers, looking at me now. I suppress a growl.

"You have _aligned _yourself with another vampire," he says to Sookie still leering.

"This is my master," Marten says. "He is to be treated with the utmost respect." They all look at Marius including Rosamund, who stares at him with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

"Of course. I am Felipe De Castro, king of Nevada," De Castro smiles at Marius. "I have only heard fairy tale stories about you and your exploits. I hope that you will share more with me, perhaps as the evening progresses?"

Marius just blankly stares at De Castro for a moment then looks at Marten. He speaks to him in the familiar Old Norse dialect and takes Sookie's hand. He and Sookie walk past De Castro, blatantly snubbing him who does not look too pleased about it. Just as they get to the door, I step in front of them.

"She is not going anywhere," I growl.

"Get out of my way," he responds to me in my Old Norse dialect.

"It's okay Marius. I'll just talk to Eric for a few minutes then we will leave," she says looking up to him.

"Is there another office we can go to, Marten?" she says, turning her head.

"Down the hall, on the right," Marten responds.

I move out of the way to let them by, but Marius says, "After you."

"Eric, I hope you won't be too long. We have a lot to discuss, including issues that your wife has," De Castro says.

I glower at them both and open the door. I walk down the hall and reach the other office; Sookie and Marius are behind me.

"I will speak to Sookie alone," I state firmly.

Not happy, he looks down at Sookie who gives him a small nod.

"Don't do anything that you may regret," he warns.

"I will be outside," he says putting his hand on her shoulder. He leaves the room closing the door behind him.

"What do you have to say now Eric?" Sookie says furiously. "I told you to leave me alone! Can't you get that through your thick skull!"

She moves a little closer to me. "What do I have to do to make you understand that I don't want you anymore! Just let me..." I don't give her the chance to finish her last sentence. I pull her to me and lay my lips on hers. She tries to move away from me but I hold her close, kissing her until she opens her mouth. That's when I dive my tongue in and put every ounce of passion into our kiss. She struggles against me for a few minutes until she gives in. This is glorious and oh how I have missed this! This feels so right. I missed the taste of her skin and lips. I can still smell that other vampire on her, but nonetheless, I enjoy having her in my arms again. I put her arms around my neck and run my hands down her back. She moans a little in my mouth. I run my hand down further until I reach her round, firm bottom, giving it a light squeeze. That's when she opens her eyes and fights me off again.

"Let go of me you jerk!" she says angrily. Not wanting to agitate her further, I let her go.

She takes a few steps back away from me. "What the hell Eric! How dare you do that!"

"It seems to me that you enjoyed that as much as I did," I smirk.

"No I didn't!" she yells, but I can see it in her eyes, she is lying.

She takes a few deep breaths and closes her eyes. "Just leave me alone Eric," she says calmly. "I have moved on; I suggest that you do the same."

"You know that is never going to happen Sookie, it will never be over between us," I tell her.

With saying anything, she looks at me one last time before turning around and heading to the door.

"Sookie," I say. She stops but doesn't turn around. "I will have you back and when I do, never again will I let you go." I tell her resolutely.

I can hear her gulp before she opens the door and leaves the room. I lean against the desk and smile to myself knowing that I effected her emotions. I spend some time pondering my next move until a few minutes later, Madden comes into the room.

He raises an eyebrow," The king and your _queen_ are waiting for you."

My good mood is short-lived. I walk past him scowling, wondering what they both want this time.

**Sookie's POV:**

The limousine ride back to Marten's penthouse is filled with tension and silence. Marten opted to stay at the club with his date since it was his opening night after all. I didn't want to stay there any longer, not after what had occurred and with Eric's wife and Felipe there. Marius and I both stare out our windows not knowing what to say. I knew that he could probably smell Eric on me; he probably felt my emotions when Eric kissed me. I would be lying if I said his kiss didn't stir the emotions that I had thought were dead. I didn't know how I was going to explain that to Marius.

We reach the apartment and he leads me up to our floor still silent. We go into his room. I watch him as he walks into the closet and I sit on the bed waiting for him to emerge. He comes out wearing a plain white v-neck t-shirt and navy pyjama bottoms.

"It is late Sookie, you should rest now," he says. He starts to walk towards the door.

"Marius wait!" I plead, standing up from the bed.

He turns around and tries to give me one of his stoic expressions, but I could see the hurt that I caused him in his eyes. I felt awful. I did almost the same thing to him that Eric did to me which was hurting him in this manner. I felt like a hypocrite. True, it was Eric that kissed me, but nonetheless, I enjoyed it and I almost didn't want him to stop.

"What happened back there was a mistake and I'm sorry," I tell him. "I won't allow it to happen again."

He looks at me for a moment. "Sookie, you don't have to apologize for the way you feel. I have always known how you felt about him, how you still feel about him. I promised that I would wait for you until you are ready."

"But I am ready," I blurt out. Was I ready? Yes and no. My emotions were a mess as usual, but I knew that I didn't want him to leave doubting me.

He takes my hands into his. "No you are not," he says gently. "You do not have to say such things to please me."

"I'm not," I tell him. "I admit that I still love Eric but I don't want to be with him. Feel my emotions; you know that I'm not lying." I put his hand on my chest.

I look into his eyes. "Besides how will I ever know if I am ready unless I take the next step?"

He closes his eyes. "Sookie I do not want you to do anything that you might regret later."

"I won't," I whisper moving even closer to him. "If it was with any other man I would regret it, but never with you."

I put my hands on his neck to bring him down to me as I lean up to meet him with my lips. He kisses me back with fervour. I tug on his shirt and he breaks away briefly to take it off. We continue to kiss, our hands all over each other. I can feel his hands on my back unzipping my dress all the way down and unhooking my bra. They both fall to the floor. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist. He takes us to the bed and he lays me on top of it gently as he hovers over me. We gaze into each other's eyes tenderly and he brushes some of my strands of hair from my face.

"I love you Sookie. You are the third person that I have ever loved in this world," he says softly. Tears well up in my eyes and I put my hand on his face.

"I love you too," I confess. It was only then that I realized I felt the same way. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with him. Did it happen at the cabin? Or when he rescued me from those two vampires? I didn't know but at that moment I didn't care. The only thing that I wanted to think and feel was him touching me and his lips against mine. Probably thinking the same thing, he leans down to kiss me more. He runs his hand down my body and brings my leg up. He caresses my thigh, my nether region getting even more hotter.

All of a sudden he gets up and off the bed. He walks toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I ask breathlessly.

He grins back at me, when he reaches the door he locks it and dims the lights. "We don't need any interruptions from anyone do we?" he replies. I smile back at him.

He comes back to the bed and removes my black heels. He lies beside me, looking down at me. He runs his hand lightly against my collarbone, then over my breast, tweaking my nipple without ever moving his eyes from mine. Eventually his hand moves down to my stomach until he reaches my wet panties. He rubs me through my panties and I struggle trying to suppress my moan and the closing of my eyes. He moves his hand underneath me to my ass and caresses it for a moment before tugging down my panties. I lift my butt a little to help him. He pulls down my underwear and I am now completely naked for him. Not guessing what his next move was he leans down on me and begins kissing my neck before settling on my breasts. He swirls his tongue around my nipple and sucks without breaking my skin. I can't help but moan as I run my hands through his hair trying to hold his head to where it was at the moment. His fingers are caressing my folds but he doesn't penetrate me with them. He makes his way back to my mouth and kisses me tenderly. I move my hands down to his hips trying to push down his underwear and pyjama bottoms.

He breaks away from our kiss and smiles down at me. "Are you sure?" he asks me.

I smile and lean up to nibble at his earlobe, "Yes," I say to him against his ear.

A second later his boxer briefs and pyjamas are off his body and he lies on top of me, his elbows on either side over my shoulders so that not all of his weight was on me. I can feel his hardness against me and I raise my knees to his hips. I reach in between us to feel him. He is definitely hard and ready. I stroke him a little to get used to the feeling of him. This time he moans and closes his eyes. He feels large, but not Eric-size large. I don't think there is another man on the planet that was Eric-sized. I quickly erase those thoughts from my mind and focus again on what was happening. I place him at my entrance and he pushes in before abruptly stopping. He looks down at me with a curious expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I ask, a little irritated that he stopped.

"I feel something," he replies. "It seems that my blood not only healed your scars but your hymen as well. I can feel the barrier."

I look at him with shock then I burst out laughing. "Are you serious?"

He nods and chuckles with me.

"Well I know that I am not a virgin, but I guess that this is the closest thing to me being one again," I smile up at him.

"I guess so," he says, "Are you sure that you want me to continue?"

I respond by squeezing his perfect ass and pulling him towards me.

"This will hurt for a second," he says.

I flinch at the pain as he breaks past my barrier.

"You feel so good Sookie," he groans. He stops for a moment and rubs my nub. He thrusts in me a little to get me used to the feeling. Soon the pain is gone and I can only feel pleasure. He continues to rub my clit while he increases his thrusts. Eventually he moves his hand from my clit and places both hands on my hips. He raises me a little so that his penis was rubbing against my g-spot. I breathe and moan at the sensations he was creating within me.

I put my arms around his neck as he continues to thrust in me. "I want you to bite me!" I yell in a lustful haze.

I can hear his fangs click. He kisses my shoulder before finding a spot on my neck. He breaks through my skin with his fangs and sucks on the wound drawing blood and my orgasm. I let out a scream as I feel him swelling up and releasing inside me, groaning.

I am still on an orgasm high as he licks the wound closed.

"Wow," I say breathlessly. I give him a lazy smile and he kisses me on the lips.

"That was worth the wait. I have never tasted anything so good," he says huskily. He is still inside me and hard.

He rolls us over so that I was now on top of him.

He places his hands on my hips again and I writhe against him. "How much longer till dawn?" I ask in a dreamy voice.

He glances at the clock. "There is no rush," he answers. He smirks at me before lifting me up and down on him.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: OMG what is wrong with me... two chapters in the span of one week! LOL I'll try to write another chapter and post it by next week sometime. **

**Marten's POV: (still the same night as the previous chapter)**

It's starting to stink in here. The mixture of alcohol, sweat, cheap cologne and perfume permeate the air. Don't get me wrong. I like the scent of a woman's sweat especially when she is on top of me or under me or between me, but the sweat of male humans is particularly disgusting. However these humans make me richer and more powerful, so I tolerate it.

I lean back on the black leather couch and watch them all enjoy themselves. The women in particular are staring at me with lust in their eyes hoping that they will catch my attention. Natasha is leaning against me trying to strike up a conversation but I ignore her. She's very attractive and somewhat interesting, but still just another 'elite' fangbanger.

My father and his woman left earlier. Things seemed a little strained between them. I check my maker/child bond and can only sense great enjoyment and pleasure from him. He must be finally getting some from Sookie. Either that or he is pleasuring himself. This gets me thinking. Do vampires over 2000 years old still jerk off? Or have they found new ways to pleasure themselves that can only be learned after thousands of years of 'life' experience? _Hmmmm..._(I rub my chin briefly) I doubt he is seeking solace with another woman. He values monogamy (absurd! I know) with her. He would never tarnish their relationship with infidelity.

I have never seen or felt my father care so much about a woman (human or supe) so much since I've known him. I am happy that he found Sookie. For awhile I was starting to worry about him. During the last few decades I haven't seen my master take a woman to his bed, at least when we were together. Speaking of Sookie, she is one gorgeous, sexy and best smelling woman that I have met in a very long time. She is the kind of woman that I would keep around me for a few weeks, hell, maybe even for a few months. But still, I am unsure what her true intentions are, especially when it concerns my master. Sometimes I wish I can give her my blood to be able to sense her emotions. She cares about him, I can see that. But I can also see that she still cares about Eric. She still looks at him the same way when I had first met her in Las Vegas. I am fiercely protective of my maker and I don't want to see him get emotionally hurt, something that she is capable of doing. I might have to consider ending Eric. I still consider him a friend, but he stands in the way of my father's happiness.

I take a look around the room again. Some women are dancing seductively and give me glances, as though trying to beckon me to come to them. Amateurs! I don't go to women, they come to me. I would make the exception for Sookie though; but if that ever happened, I fear my father would hang me by the balls (literally) for a decade at least. I like the shape they are in now, thank you very much. I don't see any other women that catch my eye. It looks like it is going to be Natasha's lucky night; she will get me all to herself.

Speaking of Eric Northman, I see him walking down the stairs followed by Pam coming out of the doors that lead to my offices. Pam is beautiful; she is also another woman I would go to, but not tonight. Fuck was she ever hot earlier challenging me to a fight. She is probably the only vamp I would lose to on purpose, as long as she doesn't kill me. He scans the crowd, probably looking for Sookie and finally settles on me. I stare right back at him. He and Pam start walking towards me.

He stands in front of me. "Where are Sookie and your maker?" He looks irritated.

"They left over an hour ago," I respond casually. "So what were you, Rosamund, and Felipe doing in the back?"

"That's none of your business," he snaps back. _Okay no need to get feisty._ "I want to speak to you and your maker," he demands.

I raise my eyebrow. "Ask nicely."

I just get him even more aggravated. "Do not toy with me," he seethes. "Your precious maker isn't here to protect you."

_He did not just say that. _I stand up to face him. "I don't need my master to protect or to fight my battles for me as I am more than capable of taking care of myself. Let me remind you, I am only less than a hundred years younger than you and have far more extensive training in the art of combat. My master has taught me all that he knows."

He sneers at me, "Really? Maybe one day we will get to test our skills against each other, but not today. I have something important to discuss with the both of you and since it has to do with your kingdom. I thought that would make you interested in what I have to say."

I glance around him; about thirty yards away I see Rosamund practically staring daggers at me. They must know about that cretin Etienne.

I just smile at her then at Eric. "Of course, let's go back into my office. Pamela, why don't you keep Natasha here company? I'm sure you can find ways to entertain each other."

Eric nods at Pam to stay put and he follows me towards my office. When I reach the stairs Rosamund is standing by and she follows us as well.

"Where is Felipe and Madden?" I ask.

"Gone," he is all says.

We reach my office and I sit behind my desk. They both continue to stand even though I gesture them to sit.

"So what can I do for the happy newlyweds?" I asked, my voice dripping in sarcasm.

I earn another scowl from Eric. He frowns too much. Doesn't he know that when he does that all the time it will eventually cause permanent, unattractive wrinkles/lines on his face?

"You have Etienne!" Rosamund huffs dramatically.

"Shut up!" Eric tells her. I smile trying not to laugh at their exchange.

"Really?" I respond. "Of course I deny the accusation. And right now we will probably get into an argument that will go on for too long. So to speed things up, I guess the next step is me asking you two if have proof.

"The warehouse across town," Eric says. "He is being held there and that building belongs to you." He throws a picture and a copy of the deed that I signed years ago on the desk. I pick up the picture and the paper and pretend to look them over.

"I own many buildings in New York. Naturally, since this is my home and area. But this name on the deed is something that I am not familiar with," I say.

"You used that name when you first met me years ago," Rosamund says angrily.

I smile at her and look like I am thinking about it. "Oh your right. I remember that time. You had been passed around the room and used by at least twenty men that night. When it came to me I didn't have to tell you to spread your legs. You did it without any type of egging from me, like some sort of advanced trained dog. I used that name that night because I was ashamed to have been the twenty-first vamp to have a go with you. Also you seemed a bit clingy and I didn't want you to contact me."

"You little bastard!" she yells furiously. She tries to lunge for me across the desk but Eric stops her by stretching his arm in front of her. She almost knocks herself over.

"That is enough!" he says strongly to her. She is still very angry and staring at me with hatred in her eyes but she's not dumb enough to disobey Eric.

"You have him. I doubt that he has technically did anything wrong and it is illegal that he is being held by you. He is to be released at once or we will go to the council with this issue. And you will get into more unnecessary trouble if they become involved. We will make sure that you are punished to the fullest extent especially since he is the child of a queen," Eric threatens. Rosamund smirks at me.

I hate threats. I rarely receive any, but when I do, I know precisely how to handle them.

I kick my feet up on my desk and lean back. "Let's say that you were correct and that I was holding Etienne in one of my warehouses. The questions are why would I do that? What is the purpose of why I would be holding a pathetic, eighty year old vampire? What would I need him for?"

"It was not you, it was him, you maker, that took him," Eric answers back.

"Ahh I see... It was my master," I say in a cheerful tone. "Well unfortunately he is rather preoccupied at the moment with a certain bubbly blonde telepath, so I can't ask him if he took Etienne. But I will ask tomorrow night, the first chance that I get."

My words rile Eric up and he looks about ready to kill me. "You will get him to come here tonight," his voice lethal.

"Tsk, tsk... Another threat Eric?" I ask, my tone flat. "Oh please I am too tired of all your threats tonight. Tell you what, why don't you come back tomorrow night. This gives you a chance to come up with a bunch of new threats and gestures."

I can tell Eric is at the breaking point. If it wasn't for his age and experience, he would have lunged himself at me awhile ago.

"Leave," he snips at Rosamund.

"But Eric..." she whines.

"Get out now!" he yells, his voice thunderous. Even I almost jump. She leaves the room right away.

"I read somewhere that that isn't healthy for a relationship to always yell at your wife," I smirk.

He ignores my comment. "Tomorrow night, at 8 pm, at your office downtown. I will speak to you and your maker or else I take this matter to the council. I will make sure that they will agree to return Sookie to me. I will get Sookie back either this way or by some other method. And believe me, the other methods won't be so kind to you and him."

I stare at him. "I'll mention it to my master."

"Good. You be sure to do that." Eric starts to leave.

"Oh yeah, by the Eric," I say. He stops and turns around. "If I did hypothetically have Etienne, you should ask Rosamund why he would not been able to respond to some of the questions I hypothetically may have asked him. Such as why he was in Canada. She probably gave you some lame excuse, but to me, it seems like there would be more to the story. You can ask her why my hypothetical 'persuasive' tactics to get him to talk haven't worked and what he may be hiding. We both know that Etienne is weak and pitiful. Under normal circumstances he would easily fold to persuasive tactics. It seems to me that he would have been ordered only by his maker to stay silent on some secrets. I wonder then, what kind of secrets would he, in theory, be keeping? Just something to think on."

He dwells on my words for a moment before leaving the room.

I take the moment to probe my bond with Marius. I can still feel pleasure pulsating from him. I sit up and reach for my phone. If he's getting some pussy, then I should be getting some too. I text Natasha to come to my office so that we may leave. Fuck it, I can't wait that long.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Finally I have updated. Too much work in real life plus stress and other happy fun things kept me away LOL. But here is the next chapter. **

**Sookie's POV:**

_Beep, beep, beep, beep... _I slowly stir to the sound of the alarm. It was dark in the room and the steel blinds were covering the large windows. I look around and find light peeking from the bathroom.

I turn my head around and look at the clock. It was almost 5:00 pm. I had slept most of the day away.

I look to my right at Marius who was still 'sleeping'. He told me before dawn that he wanted to spend the day with me. He activated a heavy steel sliding door that I didn't know was there. It was hidden in the wall. He gave me the access code for the door before he went to rest.

My bladder is full. I try to get up, but a heavy arm is weighing me down across my stomach. I lie my head back down on my pillow and look over at him and smile. I think back to last night. All the different positions, the caresses, the looks, the kisses...

I am so busy smiling to myself and thinking about it that I don't notice him wakening. He brushes his hand against my stomach.

"Good evening," he smiles.

"Hi," I whisper. I turn to lie on my side and face him. He leans in closer to kiss me. I part my lips and invite him in. Our kiss becomes more heated; soon our hands are all over each other again. My body is telling me to continue, but my bladder is screaming out for relief.

"Hold on," I say as I break away from him. I get up from under the covers and sprint to the bathroom naked. As soon as my needs are taken care of, I climb back into bed with him. We resume where we left off.

I don't know how long we stay locked together but soon I hear another beeping noise.

"Good evening, father, Sookie!" Marten's voice.

I tilt my head up and see him smiling at us from the television screen across the room. Immediately I am embarrassed and hide my head underneath the covers.

"Wow Sookie, you're still in bed? I thought you would have woken up hours ago. I guess my father..." he says but Marius cuts him off.

"Marten," he says sternly.

"Sorry father," he says apologetically. "Northman knows about the French vampire. He wants to meet you," he tells Marius in Old Norse.

"When?" Marius answers in English.

"Tonight at 8."

"Be up here at 7:30," Marius tells him.

I hear the television clicking off and feel the covers being drawn from my face. He turns on the lamp beside the bed and looks down at me.

"I have a couple good guesses as to why Eric wants to see you," I say forlornly.

He caresses my cheek. "You will not have to go back to him. There is nothing that he can say or do that will change that."

I sigh and kiss his finger. "I believe you. It doesn't matter to me anymore. I mean I do want to know how all this bad stuff happened, but in the end, I don't care anymore. It's over. Eric and I are done. Even if we were deceived, it still doesn't change the fact that he broke my trust and heart."

I had thought a lot about Etienne and how he tricked me. He tricked me into gaining my trust. He tricked me into believing that he was my friend. He tricked me for his maker. From the beginning I knew that Rosamund wanted Eric. I knew that she would probably do anything to get him despite what he told me. After all, this was Eric. I could relate. There was a time that I would have done anything to keep him with me. That's how hopelessly I was in love with him.

Still, why I wasn't smart enough to see that deception is beyond me. Maybe love made me blind as the cheesy saying goes.

"I am going to take a long shower," he says. "I need to wash your scent off as much as I can."

_He didn't like the way I smelled? _I look at him disappointed.

"Sookie, it's not like that. What I mean is, he will smell your intimate scent on my body. And if he does, his reaction will not be good and I may have to do something to him that would hurt you," he says gently.

Relieved, I say, "Oh. I guess I should take a long shower too."

I start to get up but he places his hand on my shoulder. "I don't think it's a good idea that you come."

I turn around to face him. "Why not?"

"Because... he will sense my... intimate scent within your body. And no amount of washing and scrubbing will purge you of that, at least not right away."

"Umm," I say flabbergasted, my face turning a little red. "Yeah perhaps you're right. I think Eric would freak out big time."

He comes over to me and kisses me on the lips. "I thought you would argue with me on this."

I smile, "Well the past version of me would have. I would have argued and fought with you to the very end."

He smiles back, "As much as I would have liked to see that, I am happy that you are agreeing with me on this."

"I will be back," he says. He kisses me on the forehead and heads to the bathroom. A few minutes later I hear the shower running.

I lie back on the bed and grab the phone. I call the Waldorf and Tara answers the phone. We talk for awhile and I tell her about what happened last night. I tell her about seeing Eric but I leave the part of sleeping with Marius out. I wasn't ready to share that with her. I talk to Jason for a bit too. An hour later I tell him to give my nephew a kiss for me and we both hang up.

I lie on the bed thinking about what to do tonight. Just then Marius emerges from the bathroom looking clean and gorgeous with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"So did you 'purge' yourself of my scent?" I tease.

He smiles at me. In his vampire speed he is on top of me, both of his elbows above my shoulders.

"Not quite," he says. "I love you." He leans down to kiss me.

"I love you too," I say. We kiss for several minutes until I break away.

"As much as I'd like to continue where this is leading, I am hungry and I need to shower too," I say breathlessly.

"Forgive me," he says getting up from above me. "I will call the chef to prepare you something."

"Thank you honey," I say as I saunter into the bathroom. I take my time cleaning myself.

After putting on a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, I go out into the living room area. I sniff the air and smell the food that the chef made for me. I walk to the dining room where Marten and Marius are sitting. They are communicating rapidly but stop once they see me.

"Hey," I smile and give a little wave. Marius holds his hand out for me to sit beside him.

"Mmmmmm this smells good," I say as I sniff the broccoli and steak.

"It sure does," Marius smirks at me, not looking at the food on my plate. I blush a little. "Sookie would you like some port wine? I bought a couple crates years ago which I can't seem to get rid of."

"Yes thank you," I say politely.

A minute later someone brings the bottle and a glass. I take a sip. "This is delicious."

He smiles at me. "I'm glad you approve."

I eat my food, taking sips of the wine as well. "So what are you two going to discuss when you meet Eric?"

Marten looks at Marius, then at me. "Father wants us to give Etienne back to them. If he asks for more, then... well I hope that he will not push us," he says hesitantly.

I stop eating.

"Do not worry Sookie. I do not think he will. He is much too wise to do something foolish like that," he says.

I take a moment to think. "Marten you have known Eric for centuries. Do you think... he will ever leave me alone?"

He ponders my question. "I have known him for centuries. Truthfully during that time I have never seen him become so attached to someone especially a woman. So I do not know."

I chew on my lower lip.

"Eric, like pretty much every vampire on the planet excluding my father, is selfish. But when I have seen him with you, he is different. He puts your needs and feelings first before his. So perhaps when he is ready, he will do this for you," he says reassuringly.

Marten was right. When it came to me, Eric was selfless and generous. He changed his entire lifestyle for me. He invited me into his home, shared everything with me, including his precious blood. As I look back, he did a lot of things to make me happy. Even things that he did not like. If ever he realized that I could not be happy with him, then maybe it was possible that he would let me go so I could be happy.

"We can hope," I smile at him and Marius.

I finish eating my dinner just as they are ready to leave.

"I will back in a few hours," Marius says holding me around my waist.

I nod my head and give him a kiss. I watch them leave feeling hopeful. I was hopeful that I could finally heal my heart. That I could move on to a new stage in my life. But still, I felt a tugging in my heart and soul for Eric which I could not shake.

**Marius' POV:**

I did not want to leave Sookie this evening. Especially since we had been together sexually for the first time. I professed my love to her and she did as well. Her blood and essence tasted heavenly. When I rose this evening and found her beside me, all I wanted to do was taste and experience that sweet nectar for the rest of the night. But I knew that would not happen.

Only a few short moments later Marten tells me that Northman wants to meet us regarding the young naive vampire. Rather than prolong the conflict that would keep me away from Sookie longer, I decided to give them back the vampire. Only if it was that simple. Northman was going to threaten me again into returning Sookie to him. This I was quite sure of. He did not want the French vampire, he could care less about his fate, he only wanted Sookie. But like I had promised Sookie, no matter what he said or did, I was not going to give her up. Not that I could. She had my heart in the clutch of her hands. She did not know that she had the capability of destroying it and me if she went back to Northman.

"We are almost there father," Marten says as we drive to his downtown office.

We reach the building and take the elevator up to the floor where his offices were located.

"Mr. Northman is waiting in your office," one of Marten's assistants says.

We reach the office and walk into the room. Northman is looking out the window.

"Hi Eric," Marten says cheerfully. "Have a good night?"

He stares at me then growls at Marten.

"I will speak to you alone," he snarls.

I nod my head to Marten to leave. He closes the door behind him.

"I am truly sorry that my son aggravates you," I say after Marten leaves. "But he has a natural vivacity that I can only yearn to possess."

"I do not wish to talk about him. You know why I am here," he says.

I try to stay as far from him as I could as I walk towards Marten's sofa.

"You wish to discuss Sookie," I say as I sit down. "She will not be going back to you. This is not her wish and I seem to have the favour of your vampire council."

"Not for long," he says. He tosses a piece of paper of the coffee table in front of me.

I pick it up and examine it. "It seems that tomorrow night at the summit, the fate of my bonded is on the agenda tomorrow evening," he says in a neutral tone.

I briefly go over it. Indeed that is what it says. The first topic and case was the 'ownership' of the telepathic human Sookie Stackhouse. I raise my eyebrow as I look up at him.

"You want to bring this personal matter before the council?" I state.

"I know what my strengths are. You are much older than me and you possess an unearthly power, I confess that I cannot compete with that. But I am stronger in other areas. Such as dealing with the politics of our world," he says.

"You must know that vampire politics is not important with what I want," I tell him.

Northman smirks at me. "I know, believe me I have heard the stories. But even if you destroy the council, you can't destroy everyone. Times have changed. Technology has changed. These are factors that even you cannot compete with. You will be destroyed if you act against the council, I am sure of this. You can throw as much fire at vampires you want; in the end you will be destroyed."

"How much do you know about bonds between humans and vampires?" he says as he leans on Marten's desk.

"That they are forever," I respond.

He smirks at me again. "Yes they are forever. My bond with Sookie is forever. It cannot be destroyed. She will forever be connected to me as long as she lives. She can shut it down, but eventually those walls will wear thin and our bond will be open again. Once it is, she will feel our strong connection and it will urge her to return to me."

"You would force her to return to you," I say, my eyes narrowed.

He is still smirking. "No, I would not do that to her. But the bond we share will compel her to come back to me."

He stands up and walks toward the door. "I will see you tomorrow night at the summit. You can drop that worthless vampire off at the hotel I am staying at. I would like a few words with him before deciding his fate."

He leaves the room and I sit there and stare out the window.

I contemplate for a moment what he says. He was right. Technology had changed drastically this past century. Even if I escaped with her, technology would find us. He was a persuasive vampire amongst our kind. He could turn all vampires against me and even the humans. I knew that he did not ultimately want to do this but his love and desire for Sookie was immense. In a vampire world where honour was a trait that was rare, he was one of the few who possessed it. He had honour but when it came to Sookie, she hindered it. He would do anything to keep her just like I would. He would even start a vampire war.

He mentioned his bond with her. I wasn't entirely familiar with bonds between humans and vampires, but I knew that they were permanent. I considered my own bond with my son and maker. When we left one another we always had a desire to return to one another. I had made Marten my son centuries ago and I had always left him so that he could make his way in this world on his own. But still, we both felt the urge to be in each other's presence. It was our bond that required us to be near one another. I suspected this same urge was in the bond between humans and vampires.

I am so deep in my thoughts that I do not notice someone in the room.

"Penny for your thoughts?" a female voice says.

I look up right away and see Northman's vampire wife standing near the secret entrance of Marten's room.

"What are you doing in here?" I ask her as I stand.

She walks forward at me and smile seductively.

"You must know the answer to that question," she responds.

"You have only a few seconds to tell me what you want before I obliterate you," I tell her sternly.

She looks nervous but smiles at me. "I want the same thing you want. You want Sookie and I want Eric."

I stare at her.

She looks at me and continues, "You can't have Sookie completely because of her bond with him," she says. "I know a great deal about the bond between humans and vampires. My maker's maker was a powerful witch who possessed much knowledge about the mystics of bonds. She told me much. Even if you fed her your blood daily from now on, she will never be bonded to you because she is already bonded to Eric."

"What every vampire knows is that the only way to break a bond is to kill one of them permanently," she says. "But this does not help either of us. You don't want Sookie killed and I don't want Eric killed."

She looks at me trying to decipher if I wanted her to continue. "If in the event that either of them was killed, then the other would die. That is also another huge problem."

I continue to stare at her.

"There is more," she says. "She has probably told you that she does not to go back to Eric but I am afraid she will have no choice. You know this. Even between a maker and their child, there comes a time when they must be together. But this is a bond between a maker and a child. A stronger bond like the one between Eric and Sookie is much greater."

I try to maintain an appearance of being unaffected by her words. But I know what she is saying is true.

"If this is true, then why do you want him?" I say.

"Because I love him," she says defiantly. "I know that he loves me. Deep down he does. But it is his bond with her that stops him from reciprocating those feelings."

"Leave," I say. I nod my head to the door.

"You haven't heard everything. I know how to break their bond," she says.

I stare deeply into her eyes. Her pupils are not affected.

"Like I said, my maker's maker was a witch. She not only held knowledge about bonds but she also knew how to break them," she says. "I can break their bond that will free both of them but I need your help."

I stare into her eyes deliberating my next words. "You need my help," I say.

"Yes, I wish to make a deal with you," she says. "I can only find a way to break their bond with your help. It will take powerful spells that will require things from her and him."

"What is it that you want from me?" I ask.

"Well things from Sookie and also... your power. I have heard that you possess a certain power than can make you glamour other vampires."

I raise my eyebrow.

"You can glamour vampires into doing things," she says. "I want you to glamour Eric into forgetting Sookie and loving me."

She is humourous and I smile at her. "That is preposterous. Even if I did possess such a power, why would I need to glamour him into loving you when you claim that he does already?"

"Like I said, it is the bond. They will still be drawn to each other because of that. When it is broken, he will only desire me. If you glamour him, it will only draw out what he already feels for me."

Clearly this vampiress is delusional about her and Eric.

"My son is returning," I tell her as I check my bond with Marten.

"Please consider my request," she says. She leaves in vampire speed through the secret entrance.

My son arrives and sniffs the air.

"Rosamund and Eric were in here," his fangs come out.

"Marten," I say sternly. "This will no longer be your business office. She knows your secret entrances."

"Of course father," he says. "I will kill her."

"No," I respond. "Let her be for now. Send the French vampire to Eric. I am going back to the penthouse to Sookie. I wish to not be disturbed for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow night, as you probably already are aware of, we will go before the council for Sookie. Prepare yourself."

"Yes father," he bows.

"I will see you tomorrow evening," I tell him.

I open the window and fly out into the night. I think about what the vampiress has said. Even if she did have a way to destroy bonds, there was no guarantee that bother parties would survive. I couldn't risk Sookie's well-being, but if this was the only way, could I do it? I reach the penthouse and make my way down to the floor where Sookie is.

I find her in the entertainment room watching the television screen and she smiles at me. She gets up from the couch and runs into my arms.

"I missed you," she says before putting her lips against mine.

This was a wonderful feeling.

I carry her back to our room and lay her down on the bed. I look at her briefly before removing her clothes and mine.

Soon we are both bare and I reach between us to test her readiness. She was so divinely wet.

I push in and she gasps. She was so tight, hot, and slick.

"I love you Sookie," I tell her as I thrust into her.

"I love you," she whispers.

I continue to thrust into her. I can feel that she is reaching her orgasm as I move in and out of her.

She cries out as her orgasm overtakes her. I click my fangs and penetrate her breast, taking some blood. I thrust a few more times before I reach my orgasm as well.

I look down at her. She is panting and she is beautiful. I think for a few seconds about what to do. I wanted her, but how much was I willing to risk?


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Hey so here is the next chapter. I just wanted to give credit to the reviewer who many months ago suggested that the Amazon vampires could break the bond/marriage between Eric and Sookie (I can't remember the name and I am too lazy to go through the reviews LOL). Also I give credit to AlphaSprout who suggested a pledging between Marius and Sookie since she and Eric were no longer married in vampire's eyes. I never even thought about that so thanks for the suggestion! My other story will be on hold for a bit until I finish this one off. Yeah I am definitely not a multi-tasker. I tried to write another chapter last night for my other story but my mind kept drifting to this one. Right now I am thinking maybe 3 or 4 more chapters of this story remains but who knows. **

**Eric's POV:**

He gasps out unnecessarily after my fist shatters his jaw. Blood spurts out of mouth. He falls back to the floor. He tries to crawl away from me but I stomp my right foot down hard on his shin. He cries out in pain once again.

"Eric," he calls out in a low raspy voice. He lays his head on the floor looking up at me.

"Now tell me what it is you're hiding," I growl.

"You know I cannot," he says. Indeed Marten was right. His maker, Rosamund, had commanded him to remain silent with something that involved Sookie and I. I think of other questions that I could ask him that he may be able to answer.

"How long have you been communicating with my bonded?"

He is silent for a few seconds but speaks, "Since I met her."

"How?"

"Email," he responds.

"How many lies have you told her?"

He doesn't say anything immediately but shakes his head. "Everything that I have ever said to her has been the truth."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can't tell you but just that I told her the truth about what and who we were," he whispers.

I hated that he put me in the same category as him so I stomp on his stomach hard. He spits out more blood.

"I am nothing like you, you hear?" I seethe.

He smiles and lets out a small laugh. "Keep telling yourself that Eric."

Etienne is still smiling. "I can see why you find her so fascinating. She is unique, one of a kind. Her scent is extraordinary and her body... There are no words to describe. I can still feel her curves and the softness of her luscious skin against mine. I can still taste..."

I don't let him finish his sentence. I rip his head off the rest of his body. His blood sprays all over the entire room as his head disintegrates in my hands. Rage cannot even begin to describe how I feel at this moment. Did Sookie fuck this worthless vampire at some point? I want to kill. I want to kill that fucking ancient vampire and Marten. I want to kill fucking De Castro. I want to kill my so-called bitch wife Rosamund.

I am going into a bloodlust so I try to calm myself down. It is at that moment Rosamund comes into the room. She looks around stunned and starts screaming when she realizes that it's Etienne's blood around the room. She collapses to the floor gathering up the bits of pieces of his flesh and blood while sobbing.

"Etienne, my beloved..." she cries out as she rubs his flesh and blood against herself. Red tears fall from her eyes.

I watch her almost feeling sympathetic. I couldn't imagine losing Pam.

She looks up at me, her face full of anger. "You fucking bastard! You killed my child!"

She gets up and tries to attack me. I let her hit her fists against my chest a few times before holding onto both of her wrists.

"Why? Why did you do it?" she sobs out. She gives up her struggle. I am holding her up by her wrists.

"You really have to ask me that? What was he hiding?" I snarl. I squeeze her wrists and she whimpers out in pain.

She stops crying and starts laughing like a crazed woman. "Everything that I have done has been for you, for us."

"That human woman doesn't deserve you. You deserved so much more than that," she says. "Everything that I have done has been for love. Now I have lost my child because of my love for you. But you know what? In the end, it will be worth it. It is better that Etienne has met his end at your hands. I would not have had it any other way."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I yell.

"Nothing will stand between us Eric, can't you see that?" she says with a crazed look in her eyes.

"What was Etienne doing with Sookie?" I growl.

"He showed her your true nature, what you really were. It was the only way to get rid of her without murdering her. I had many chances to kill her, but I didn't, because I love you. If she died so would you."

I let her go and she falls to the ground at my feet. She tries to wrap her arms around my legs but I push her away.

"You have ruined my life because of your obsession," I state fiercely. I clench my fists, readying myself to strike her hard.

She laughs manically again. "No Eric, you did that all on your own with only a slight amount of help from me. Did I force you to fuck that fairy woman in Bordeaux? Did I force you to marry me? You could have prevented our union but you didn't. You know why? Because you love me, only me. You always have since the moment we met. When will you accept that?"

"You are out of your fucking mind," I growl. "You will tell me everything, do not leave anything out!"

She begins to tell me about the deal she made with De Castro, how she made Etienne befriend Sookie. She also tells me how Sookie found out about that night in Bordeaux. I close my eyes briefly as my temper rises even more. Sookie was alone with him that night.

"Did they have sex?" I ask angrily.

She laughs again. "My dear Etienne was a gentleman. If he did bed your little telepath, he would not have told me." She grabs a piece of his flesh and begins weeping. "Oh Etienne," she whispers as she rubs it against her cheek.

"You will be at the summit tomorrow and you will tell everything that you have told me to the council," I say disgusted at the scene.

I look once more at the sight of her weeping on the bloody floor and leave the room. I go down to the suites where Pam and I are staying. She is sitting on a sofa waiting for me.

She raises an eyebrow when she sees my blood stained clothes. "I take it that Etienne is good as dead now?"

"He has been taken care of. One less problem," I state. I rip my shirt off and pants. I go into the bathroom and take a long shower.

Afterwards I come out and Pam is still sitting on the bed.

"Go. Feed and rest yourself. Because tomorrow night will be a long evening. Tomorrow I will get Sookie back and we will begin our plans."

"As you wish Master," she says bowing her head. She closes the door and I secure myself in the room. I spend the rest of the night working and drinking my last bottle of True Blood. Tomorrow night I will have my Sookie to feed from. We will never be apart again. I go to rest feeling joyous about the next evening.

I rise the next night still in a good mood. I think about last night and how much I enjoyed ripping Etienne's head from his body. It felt so good. But not as good as it will feel when I do the same to Rosamund, Marius and everyone else who has kept me and Sookie apart.

After calming myself, I know that Sookie would not have had sex with that insignificant vampire. She had too much honour and self-worth. She would not lower herself. But even if she did have sex with Etienne, I would forgive her. I had my revenge; he was dead permanently. Soon my revenge will be complete after I have secured Sookie.

I take another long shower just in case the scent of Etienne's blood lingered. I put on one of my tailored suits.

I could feel the sun has set. Immediately, I open the door and head to the conference with Pam.

We reach the new location of the summit and already there are hundreds of vampires and other supes. No doubt most are here only to witness the contest between me and Marius. They all stare at us as we walk through the lobby area. The council had opted to relocate the summit to another location after the appearance of Marius. Marten owned the building and they were clearly worried about their safety.

The doors open to the large conference room. Pam and I walk to our designated seats.

I look around the room. The security is state of the art. There are dozens of armed guards who were vampires, weres, demons, and Britlingens. The Britlingens lingered near the front where the council members' thrones were. They must have been hired as protection for them. I look up near the ceilings and spot hidden snipers throughout the room.

Rosamund has not arrived yet. I look towards the entrance as the room fills up. I watch De Castro walk in with Madden. He stops and smirks at me before heading to his seat. She is not here. I let out a deep growl in my chest. No matter. I will get Sookie back even without her testimony and I will deal with her later for not showing up.

Marius and Marten walk in as most of the vampires have taken their seats. He stares at me before stiffly sitting on his chair across from me. He looks worried. He should be. I was very confident with what the outcome of this contest was going to be.

The other doors open and the council members walk in. We all stand until they take their seats. There is a loud murmur through the room as we settle back down into our seats.

"Silence! Let's begin tonight's proceedings," Castor says. "There are several matters on the agenda tonight. The first concerns the possession of the human telepath Sookie Stackhouse. Several nights ago, we agreed that she would remain with the Scandinavian vampire Marius for the time being. Tonight her fate will be decided."

The crowd erupts in a murmur again.

"Now both Eric Northman and Marius will each have the opportunity to present their cases to the council members. Afterwards there will be a short deliberation and we will make our decision. Once the decision has been made, it will be permanent. Are we understood?" he says looking at both me and Marius.

I look at Castor and nod before returning my gaze at Marius. He doesn't look away and nods his head slightly.

"Very well. We have ruled that Marius will be the first to be allowed to speak without interruption," Castor says.

Marius shifts his gaze to the council and stands up. He walks to the center of the room. "I make my claim for Sookie because these are her wishes. Unfortunately she has no power to make that decision for herself as she is not a vampire. She does not wish to return to Northman ever. Her desire is to remain with me. When I first met her she was alone, in a state of despair and danger. She felt betrayed by Northman which is the reason why she had left him. She had no protection from the vampires who wanted to hurt her. She was also a danger to herself. Her mental anguish about what Northman had done to her was severe. She would not have survived if I had not aided and protected her. I am almost new to the ways of this world as I have shielded myself because of my values. But I know what the significance of a bond is. Especially one between a human and a vampire and I respect that. It is by our laws that the human belongs to the vampire and those who tamper with it should meet their final death. But I ask you to reconsider this. She left him willingly and has not been a part of his retinue for many months. If she is to be returned to Northman I fear for her wellbeing."

He pauses for a moment. "But the main reason, perhaps the only reason, why I wish to claim her is because I love her."

The crowd erupts in a loud confused murmur.

"Silence!" Castor says.

My eyes narrow at Marius. That fucker publicly confessed his 'love' Sookie. I was enraged. I grip the side of my seat and can feel some small pieces of wood falling into my hand.

"I wish to pledge myself to her. I want to marry her by our customs and by human standards," he says.

Again the crowd erupts.

If I could set others on fire like he did, I would have done so at this moment. My inner beast wants nothing more than to rip out this vampire's heart and feast upon it. Pam puts her arm on me to help keep me calm.

"Master..." she whispers.

"Quiet!" Castor once again orders.

"Are you finished?" Antonius asks him.

"Yes your eminence," he responds. He walks back and sits down on his chair.

"King Northman, it is your turn," Antonius says.

I try to soothe my inner beast as much as I could and stand up. I walk to the center of the room as well.

"My goal for this evening is to reclaim my bonded. It is true that she left my protection willingly but she did with the help of others who had no legal right to do so. I want retribution against the individuals who aided her, including Marius, but that is another matter for another night. Tonight my only goal is to have my bonded back into my custody. By vampire law she is legally mine. We are blood bonded. Up until a few months ago we were married by our laws as well. Now our blood bond automatically entitles me to her. I know that you all have knowledge surrounding the mysticism of bonds. Even in the event that you do not rule in my favour she will be compelled to return to me. If she does not, then she will lose her sanity. I know that this council has a great deal of respect for the laws that govern our kind. These laws were created centuries ago. They were made to create order within the territories and for centuries we all have respected and obeyed the laws. To deny me of my bonded is a blatant disregard for those laws. It will trigger a mutiny if the council members do not follow the rules which they have made. I trust that you will make the right decision for our kind. That is all."

I turn around and sit back down.

The council members look to each other.

"We will adjourn for a half hour. When we return, we will reveal our decision," Castor says.

For the next half-hour I sit on my chair waiting for the council to return. I knew what they were going to decide. I watch more security come into the room and surround the thrones of the council members. Tension fills the air as the guards continuously check their weapons.

Not long after, the doors open and we all rise. The council members return to their seats and we take ours.

"We have come to a decision," Antonius says. "King Northman and Marius, please come forward."

We both walk up at the same time.

"After carefully considering your testimonies we have decided that the telepathic human Sookie Stackhouse is to be returned to king Northman immediately," Antonius says with a slightly shaky voice.

The crowd erupts. I am elated and relieved. I look back at Pam who is smiling.

Suddenly dozens of the guards surround the council and us. I look at Marius whose expression has turned deadly. I hear a low growl coming from him and Marten is standing beside him with his fangs down. His eyes begin to turn red.

"Marius, do not try anything foolish," Castor warns. I could see the fear in his eyes. The Britlingens step closer to Marius. I look up and the snipers are all pointing their weapons at him. I see a few of them pointing bows with silver tipped arrows.

I could feel his power growing and ready to erupt. Pam is now beside me ready to attack.

Just as I feel that he is about to explode he stops suddenly and looks at me, then at Marten. They gaze at each other for a brief moment before leaving the room in vampire speed.

Immediately I pursue them in my speed as well. I run outside but they are both gone. I am absolutely bewildered. I take a couple seconds to think about where they have gone.

"Sookie," I whisper. It has to do with her. I briefly run though in my mind about where they could have gone. Deciding where they must have gone to, I take flight, flying at a break-neck speed towards my destination.

**Sookie's POV**: **earlier that same evening**

I smile as I stroke Marius's hair while watching him sleep. This was peaceful. He made me feel so peaceful and loved. If only we could stay in this room forever, uninterrupted. Or better yet, return to the sanctuary that we built together in the forest.

But that was now an impossible dream. After we had made love last night he had told me what happened with Eric. He mentioned that the council summoned them tonight and it was about the 'ownership' of me. I was so peeved. I was a free woman living in a free country. Yet these vampires were making decisions about my life. Granted I had dealt with this before, but still, I was so angry. I wouldn't be able to tell them what I wanted because I had no rights within their laws.

He also mentioned that Rosamund approached him after Eric left. She had a way to break the bond between me and Eric. He asked me last night if I felt any inclination to return to Eric. Hesitantly, I told him about the tugging in my heart. He said this was due to the bond. He said that eventually the bond will call to me to return and be with Eric. Since it has only been a few months since I separated from Eric, the urge would not be very strong right now. But it will grow as time moves forward.

I asked him what we should do and if we should take steps to break the bond. He thought about it for a few minutes and simply said that he did not trust her. Everything she was doing was only for her gain and whatever plan she had could hurt me. He didn't want to risk it.

I also asked him what she wanted in return if we took her help and he said that she wanted him to glamour Eric into forgetting me and make him fall in love with her. _What a crazy bitch! _

But yet I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

I think back to our conversation last night.

"Do you think I should break the bond? I mean since this is the only way to be together?" I asked him.

He rubbed my skin gently. "If you want to be free from Eric and if there is no danger to you, then yes. But this is entirely your decision."

I thought for a moment. "But you said that you didn't trust her motives."

"I don't," he responded. "I know some powerful vampire witches. I met them over seven hundred years ago when I was travelling through South America. They prefer to remain a concealed coven. I stayed with them for about a decade and witnessed some of their great powers. They may have a way of breaking the bond."

I smiled and giggled. "I think I know who you are talking about. Bill, my ex, is with them down there as we speak. Months ago he wrote me a letter about how he met some vampires he encountered in the Amazon rainforest."

He smiled back. "Then they will welcome you into their tribe if he has told them warm things about you, which I have no doubt."

"Can I think about it some more?" I asked.

"Of course you can Sookie," he answered. "If you decide to do this then we will go down there as soon as possible. We will ask them about it and weigh all the risks. If there is even a slight chance that something happens to you then we will not go through with it."

"Okay," I smiled. We made love again before falling asleep at dawn.

He rises a few minutes later from his slumber.

"Hi," I say. I lean down to kiss him.

"How long have you been awake?" he asks.

"Not long. I've just been lying here watching you sleep," I tell him.

He looks at the clock. "I should get ready." Instead he leans forward and plants more kisses on me.

Forty minutes later he is in the shower washing off my scent.

I was worried about tonight. They could decide that I had to return to Eric. Would Marius fight their decision and for me? Yes he would. But I was worried that a confrontation could become deadly. I didn't want anything to happen to either one of them. I sigh loudly frustrated. If only I could go there and speak on my own behalf. I would tell them what I wanted, but in their world I had no rights. Things would be a lot easier if I were a vampire then at least I could have some control.

An hour later I walk with Marius to the elevator.

"Please stay in the apartment tonight," he says. He looks worried and now I am worried.

"Of course," I respond. I give him a reassuring smile.

"I will be back as soon as I can," he says.

I nod my head and we kiss. We kiss like this was the last time. We put so much of our passion into it that I am breathless at the end.

We reluctantly let go of each other and he gets into the elevator; heading to the conference where my fate was being decided by vampires I have never met.

I try to keep my mind off things by going into the entertainment room. I try to watch some shows on tv but there is nothing that peaks my interest. I settle on a book from Marten's bookshelf.

A half hour or so later I have read almost fifty pages.

I begin to notice that it was quiet. It was too quiet. Usually a guard would walk by at least every 15 minutes but so far I haven't seen anyone.

I hear a small noise coming from the hall and slowly I get up to check it out. I look down both ends of the hall but there is no one. I use my telepathy and sense four voids. There were usually four vampire bodyguards on this floor and it must be them. I can't sense the were guards either.

I turn around to go back into the room when suddenly I am confronted by a strange vampire. I don't get a chance to speak or think as he quickly puts a cloth over my mouth and I am out like a light.

I hear noises around me. I slowly stir, my head feeling groggy. I try to open my eyes but there is a blindfold over them. I can't move my arms either. That is when I begin to panic.

I muffle a scream as the blindfold is removed from my eyes. I blink my eyes trying to get used to the light. Rosamund is standing in front of me. She was smiling and looking at me with a glare that was pure evil. I glance around the room. There were five other vampires and two weres. It looked like we were in a plane.

"Welcome," Rosamund says.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask quickly.

"You will see," she responds.

"How did you break into Marten's home?" I ask.

"It was easy. It sure helps when you have a former MI6 agent on your payroll," she says.

Just then another person comes out of the cockpit. I recognize him immediately. It was Ari Durant, the man who helped me escape in Bordeaux.

"Ari has many connections with different government agencies. He has access to all sorts of helpful technology, including satellites. He was able to hack into Marten's mainframe and download the floor plans, security details... you name it to all of his homes and businesses."

"After getting that information it was easy to break in and surprise everyone. They are all dead, including the humans who worked in the building," she laughs.

Silent tears fall from my eyes. "You won't get away with this. Marius will find me."

"Perhaps," she smiles. "But when he does, it will be too late."

She puts her hand on my chin. "I guess I can tell you where we are going. There is a small island near Martinique where I keep a home. This is where my witch is. She is a very old and powerful vampire. She will break the spell you have over Eric and free him. Once he is free of you then I will take pleasure in killing you."

I gulp. Just what I needed, another fucking death threat. "If you do then Eric will hunt you down."

She laughs malevolently. "No he won't. You know why? Because she will create a spell that will make Eric love me and he will forget that you ever existed. He will become my slave only living to serve and please me. As for your precious Marius, he will die as well. She will conjure up a spell that will protect me so that I may destroy him."

She leans in closer and kisses my cheek. "Sit back and enjoy your last few hours because soon you will be dead."

I stare out the window silently praying to Marius to find me.


	28. Chapter 28

**Sookie's POV:**

I did the two things that I could only do in my current situation: one was trying to read the minds of the weres and the humans onboard, the other was to reach out through my bond with Eric and connection with Marius.

The weres were too difficult to read. They only spoke French in their minds. Fuck! Why didn't I pay more attention in high school! Ari was smart enough to do the same but there were a few English words that he slipped. Death and money. Well that was obvious.

I also had opened my bond with Eric. I knew for sure that when I had first awoken on this plane that Marius would know something was wrong. To Eric I sent my worries, fear and hope. I tried to reach out to sense what he was feeling, but it was like the further away I was from him, the harder it became. What I did sense faintly was anger and concern. I just hoped that they would still be able to track me.

I watch Rosamund and Ari sitting on a long seat in front of me conversing in French. I could only understand a few words and phrases. One word that I recognized was 'child' and Ari's face lit up like he won the jackpot. I guess when all was said and done she was going to turn him. That made me wonder where Etienne was. Marius mentioned that they had given Etienne to Eric. I could only think that Eric was keeping him somewhere or that he had killed him. Not that I was fond of Etienne but I hoped it wasn't the latter.

Rosamund turns her head to look at me with a smirk on her face. Ari stands up and lifts me from my seat. He puts me down beside her.

"I can't imagine how or why you have two of the most powerful vampires at your fingertip," she says, tracing her finger above my breasts. I tense up.

"You are not special. You are pretty in some respect and you have beautiful breasts, but these qualities and more are found in hundreds of other women," she continues. She leans in and sniffs me. She continues with her examination. "You smell superb, especially with Eric`s and that ancient vampire`s blood in you. But again, qualities that other women can easily obtain. Is it the way your blood tastes?"

Her fangs pop out and I get scared that she will bite and more than likely drain me. "Relax. I am not going to taste you. I would not want to tarnish my blood with yours."

"Is it your 'personality'?" she says sarcastically. "Perhaps you are a natural witch and you have put a spell on them both. That has always been my first idea on how you got Eric. But how you did it to Marius astounds me. An ancient like him should be able to smell the magic on humans."

My anger overcomes my fear. "Maybe it's because I have proper manners and self-respect. I don't go whoring myself to every living thing with a dick."

She is furious instantly. Just as she is about to slap me, a strange surge of power sweeps through me knocking her to the floor. She sits on the floor looking up at me astonished.

I was shocked too. _What the hell was that?_

"What are you?" she says angrily.

I gulp. "I'm just a southerner who somehow keeps getting into trouble with supes."

She smiles wickedly and starts laughing. "You are strange. Perhaps that is why you attract Eric."

She sits farther from me for the rest of the flight during which time I try to summon up that strange power that came from me. Hopefully it will help me escape.

A few hours go by but it doesn't come back to me.

The plane begins to descend as the captain tells us that we are about to land. A were carries me outside and into a vehicle. We drive a short distance and the were carries me out again. I could hear the waves crashing against the shore as the moonlight shines down on the sea.

He deposits me near the front of the jet boat and sits down beside me.

"Where are we going?" I ask Rosamund.

"To my island," she says.

Ari is driving the boat and soon we are on our way.

I start shivering wishing I had worn a sweater. I check my bond with Eric again. I couldn't feel him just only a faint pulse that indicated he was somewhere far. Perhaps too far and too late to save me. I didn't know what was to take place in this ritual that would break my bond with Eric. Marius did say that it could be dangerous. Either way the outcome that I was certain of was that Rosamund was going to kill me. I tried to not think about it so instead I focused on the scenery.

The night sky is incredibly beautiful. I could clearly see all the stars and the Milky Way in the sky. It reminded me of my time in the forest and mountains when me and Marius spent hours each night gazing at the sky. I start to feel an incredible sadness. I may not ever experience that with him again. A few tears that I have been trying to hold back run down my face.

An hour later we reach an island. The sky was starting to light up, the stars were beginning to fade and I hoped that dawn was near. That would at least buy me some time to think of an escape plan.

The same were carries me off the boat. He doesn't put me down but follows Rosamund as she walks up the beach and towards the trees. We follow a tiny path for what I estimate 20 minutes until I see some light.

We reach a cleared area and there is a huge bonfire and other candles that made a large circle around the bonfire.

In the middle near the fire stood a black haired woman with streaks of gray. Her skin was pale, more paler than any vamp that I had ever seen. She looked Asian. She wore a dressing gown that was Japanese; she looked like a geisha.

She opened her eyes but they were white. She kind of reminded me of the Ancient Pythoness. The were brings me closer to her and set me on my feet. Rosamund is standing beside me and bows to her.

"Mistress, I have brought you the human woman," Rosamund says to her.

The old woman turns her attention to me, leans in and sniffs me. Her white eyes begin to turn black and her fangs pop out. Her fangs weren't white but more of a brown-yellowish colour.

"There is something not natural about her. She carries the blood of the fae and something more. This one is special. Are you sure you want to dispose of her?" the old vampiress asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Rosamund answers immediately. "I don't care what she is. I want Eric and there should be nothing to stand in my way."

"You are not thinking logically," the old woman says. "She has a great power within her. It would be a waste to kill her."

Rosamund thinks about it for a moment. "Fine, whatever. Perform the ritual and if she survives, then perhaps we will keep her. But only if you can control her and as long as she is no interference in my relationship with Eric."

The old woman smiles, her teeth looked decayed.

"What do you need?" Rosamund asks.

"I will need the bonded pair's hair, a personal item, and their blood," she says as she takes a few steps back. Another vampire appears from behind her and lays out a knife, some crystals, and rocks in front of her. She sits on the ground and moves around the rocks and the crystals over the sand.

I am too mesmerized watching her that I don't notice Rosamund slicing my finger.

"Ow!" I yelp. The were is behind me holding my hand in place over a goblet. I watch my blood drip down.

Rosamund's fangs come out as she watches my blood empty into the goblet.

"Perhaps maybe I should have gotten a taste on the plane," she says.

When she is satisfied, the were lets go of my hand and tosses me a cloth. I wrap it around my finger.

She pulls out a small vial of blood from her purse.

"It's Eric's blood," she says. "I obtained it the night that we spent at my castle in Bordeaux. He was so busy fucking that he didn't even notice when I pricked his skin and took his blood."

I feel a pain in my heart. Yes it still bothered me even though it shouldn't. She spills the blood in the goblet as well. She hands it to the old woman and comes back to me. All of a sudden she yanks a few strands of my hair and rips off the necklace that Marius gave me from my neck.

"I imagine that this cheap trinket means something to you," she sneers. She pulls out a Ziploc bag with some blonde hair and a watch. I recognized it. It was the watch that I bought Eric for Christmas over a year ago.

She hands those items to the old woman as well. She puts them in the goblet with the blood.

"In order to break the bond, this spell must be performed three times to reverse it," the old woman says.

"Lie her down in front of me," she says.

The were picks me up and lays me down on the sand. I try to get up but he pins me down. I try to summon the power that I used earlier but it doesn't work.

The old vampiress begins chanting in a language I wasn't familiar with and soon a blue light is forming around us. Her chants become louder and faster and I could feel something leaving me, like something was being robbed from my heart and soul. She dips the knife into the goblet, says one final chant and flicks the knife toward me. The combined blood splays over my stomach.

The blue light around us begins to fade and I feel weak. I felt different. My bond to Eric was slowly being taken away, the tie was getting weaker. The faint pulse that I had felt earlier was almost gone.

"It is almost dawn and there is no time to finish the spell. We will finish it tonight," the lady says.

"But mistress... please can we just finish this," Rosamund pleas.

"Enough! This ritual takes a lot of my energy and I need time to recuperate," she says. "We will finish this tonight. Make no mistake, in due time she will no longer be bonded to the Viking."

Rosamund reluctantly agrees and tells the weres and Ari to keep me secure for the day.

The were lifts me up and carries me towards another narrow pathway until we reach a house. It was small and basic.

We go into the house and he puts me down on a sofa.

"Can you undo my bindings? I have an itch on my nose." I ask Ari. "I am not going anywhere obviously."

He snickers at me. "No can do princess. I have orders to follow."

Some time passes by and the sun is shining brightly outside. I wonder what time it is and how far Marius is. Even though I couldn't feel him I knew that he was close by. I just wasn't sure how far.

I begin tiring and my eyes are getting droopy.

"Would you like something to eat?" Ari asks. He holds out a plate of scrambled eggs, toast and sausage.

I shake my head defiantly and he laughs.

"Come on, I swear it's not poisoned," he says.

I was starving. The spell had weakened me and I knew that food would help replenish my strength. I nod my head.

He unties my bindings from the back and then reties them to the front.

"You should be able to use a fork," he says.

I pick up a piece of egg and put it in my mouth. "Why are you doing this?"

"Like I told you before, the vampires pay very well and the bonus that I will be getting in the end is far more valuable than money," he smiles.

"She is going to make you a vampire," I state.

"You are very observant Miss Stackhouse," he says. "I will be stronger, faster, and I will be immortal."

"Unless you get staked or burned," I add.

He chuckles at me. "Well that is true. I guess we shall have to wait and see."

After I finish eating, the were picks me up and takes me outside. Again he puts me on a chair and I look out at the breathtaking view. The air smelled like the tropical trees and the sea. It was so warm and almost comforting. This would have been a great place for a vacation if not for the fact that I was brought here against my will and to be killed.

My eyes become heavier and I fall asleep listening to the waves and the birds flying in the air above me.

**Marius' POV: beginning from the night before**

I flew at my fastest speed back to the penthouse apartment. Marten couldn't fly but he was an extremely fast runner for a vampire.

I reach the apartment and smash through a glass window. I knew Sookie was not here. I knew the moment I felt her fear and anxiety. She was somewhere in the air, on a plane. I searched around the apartment floors for clues. All of Marten's employees and loyal servants were dead. Blood and flesh piles were everywhere. The human and weres were brutally mutilated.

I sniffed around for the scent of Northman's vampiress. But there was not a trace; however I knew without a doubt it had to be her. I should have destroyed her when I had the chance. My anger grows but I knew I had to pacify it in order to think clearly and find Sookie before it was too late.

I smell the different scents of other vampires; eight to be exact. I focus all my internal energy on Sookie. My connection with her was becoming weaker as she was moving farther. I needed to hurry before the connection was completely lost.

Just then Marten comes into the room. He surveys the bodies of the decapitated weres and the piles of flesh and blood of his loyal vampires. I could feel his sorrow and I put my hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"It was her wasn't it father?" he asks sounding like a lost boy.

"Yes, she and others will pay dearly for this," I respond. "We need to move quickly. Call your people and prepare your jet for takeoff as soon as possible."

He nods and pulls out his cell from his pocket and starts making the necessary calls.

I go to the bedroom that I shared with Sookie and open a hidden door that housed my swords and other weapons. I take the ones that I will use for combat.

Suddenly I hear another window breaking and I go to that room in vampire speed.

Marten was beside me instantly ready to attack. It was Northman.

"Where is Sookie?" he says in a low growl. More than likely he could smell the scent of death in the air.

"She has been taken by your wife," I answer.

His expression changes dramatically. No longer does fury radiate from him but fear, fear for her safety.

"Can you sense her through your bond?" I ask him.

"That is none of your business!" he snaps. "Stay out of this, I will find _my _bonded by myself."

"Don't be an idiot Eric!" Marten says. "Your wife managed to get passed my security and kill my people, so obviously she has much more resources and strengths that we did not know of."

"I do not need your assistance," he fumes staring at me.

"So what, you're going to risk her safety because of your pride? I thought you would have learned from your mistakes after letting the fairies torture her," Marten says heatedly.

In an instant he is on Marten, knocking him to the ground. Marten manages to push him away and before he can get a chance to attack Marten again, I pin him against the wall, holding him by the neck.

"I don't have time for this; _she _doesn't have time for this. With or without your help I am going to find Sookie, however, it would make my task easier if you tell me which direction she has been taken. You are able to track her because of your bond, are you not?" I tell him.

"Yes," he grunts.

"Has she opened her end of the bond?" I ask.

He pauses for a moment and nods. "She is still alive but she is afraid and hopeful."

That was exactly what I felt, although I was losing the ability to sense where she was.

"Master," a female voice calls out from behind us. Before she can get to us Marten holds her back. It was Northman's child.

"Will you help us find her?" I ask him. I did not want it, but with his help it made the task of locating Sookie more accurate. Right now I only had a general inclination of where she may have been taken to.

"No," he says, "It is you who will be aiding me. When we find her, you will release her to me."

The council's decision had not strayed far from my mind. I wasn't going to give Sookie up. Not just because she had asked me not to, but because I loved her. I hated this situation but I needed his assistance if I wanted to see her alive again. "Agreed," I say reluctantly. I had to swallow my pride. Sookie's safety was much more important right now. I let him go.

"Marten has his plane ready for take-off. We must leave for the airport immediately," I say.

He agrees and less than a half hour later we are all aboard the jet heading south along the coast.

"Why do you think that your vampiress would take Sookie to the Caribbean?" I ask Northman on the plane. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to check his knowledge.

He doesn't answer my question but just stares at me coldly. I change my question.

"What do you know of her maker?" I ask him.

"He is dead," he replies.

"What about his maker?"

He thinks over the question. "Not much, just that his maker was very old and that she probably met her end a couple centuries ago."

"Do you know if your wife owns any islands?" I ask.

"Do not call her my wife," he says angrily. "She is not my wife; Sookie is and always has been. Once I find that bitch I will drive a stake through her heart and she will no longer be a problem."

"Why do you want my woman?" he asks. "Why do you want her especially since you know that she has a permanent bond with me, and that despite what the council has ruled she is still my wife. Why do you want a human woman who is essentially still married to another vampire? We were pledged by the sacred knife. Have you no respect or honour?"

I stare at him blankly for a moment.

"You already know why I want Sookie. Sacred knife? Vampire laws? I have been roaming this earth far longer than you have and before the council ever existed. Who created these so-called sacred ceremonies and artefacts? There weren't created by any divine power. No, they were created by the vampires who sit on your precious council. The same vampires whose sole purpose in life is to generate fear in us just to retain the power they have over our kind," I reply.

He sits back unable to think of a reply.

"Sookie has a pure heart which was almost irrevocably damaged. A pure heart is a rare quality that I have never seen in all my years and it is something that needs to be protected," I say. "I know that you two have had a shared history that Sookie will always cherish, but things change, and sometimes we may not like it, but for the good of everyone, we must accept it."

He stares at me for one last moment before looking out his window.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Hello Everyone! Well here are the final few chapters before the epilogue. Sorry for the LOOONG delay. I'm not going to give the excuses, so I will just get on with it. By the way, thanks for all the reviews. I'm glad the ones who disapproved of the Sookie and Marius storyline wrote long and detailed critiques to explain why they don't like them instead of just saying "THEY SUCK!" without any explanation. Everyone has their opinions and like I have said in the past, there are hundreds of happy Eric/Sookie stories out there if you don't like what I have here. I was so surprised that people are still reading my story after a long time away. Thank you all for that. **

**Sookie's POV:**

_Where am I?_ I think to myself, disoriented and drowsy. I slowly open my eyes, becoming more aware of my surroundings. Oh yeah, now it was all coming back to me. I was kidnapped, taken to an island in the Caribbean where a mad woman/vampire was going to kill me after she breaks my bond with Eric. Either that or enslave me; just another typical day in the life of Sookie Stackhouse.

"You're awake," Ari says looking down at me. I was lying on the sofa now after being brought in from outside at some point.

I answer him with a scowl on my face and sit up. I look outside and it was getting dark. Fear was creeping in on me.

He offers me more food but I decline. I don't think I would have been able to keep it down anyway.

The sun sets a few hours later. I stare outside at the fading light and suddenly I feel strong emotions of arrogance, determination, anger, and confidence. It was Eric! I knew those feelings weren't my own. I probe our weakened bond and I could feel that he was still quite a distance away from me but at least closer than before. Was Marius with him? Probably not, but I had no doubt in my mind that he was coming for me as well.

It is just then that Rosamund and her other cronies walk in. There were more weres and vampires than the night before. They were all dressed in black with armour and swords as though ready for combat. The weres were armed with guns with what I can assume were loaded with silver bullets. Were they anticipating Marius' or Eric's arrival? Rosamund herself was in some sort of black spandex suit that clung to her figure. She had a sword strapped to her back. Her strawberry blonde hair was in a tight bun. Her attire reminded me of the female vampire from the Underworld movies.

Ari helps me to my feet and she steps in front of me with a smirk on her face. "I hoped you enjoyed your last day. Because whatever the outcome is, Eric will be mine by the end of the night. And you my dear, if you survive the spell, will be one of my many slaves. You will spend the rest of your life crawling on your knees behind me. Whatever talents you may possess will be used to make me wealthier and powerful. You will live by my hand."

God I hated this bitch. "That is where you are wrong. I won't be your slave; I would rather die. I can't wait till Marius or better yet, Eric, kills you. You just signed your final death sentence by kidnapping me."

"You think that he will come and save you, your new lover?" Rosamund says. She leans in and breathes me in. "I can still smell him on you and it's such a powerful scent too. It's such a pity that he took up with you. It's an even greater pity that we will have to destroy him."

She turns around and walks outside. Ari nudges me to start walking as well.

We walk to the same site from the night before. The candles and torches had been re-lit. The goblet and the dagger were there. The old woman was sitting on the ground drawing symbols in the sand and chanting.

"They are coming," she says while continuing to draw symbols with her finger.

"How far are they?" Rosamund says, looking worried.

"Do not fret. By the time they arrive, it will be too late," the old woman says. "Lay her on the earth."

One of the weres picks me up and dumps me on the ground.

"Let go of me!" I say as I struggle a bit. He pins me down with his arms.

The old woman picks up the dagger and comes closer to me. This time she slices through my lower arm. The cut was small but still hurt.

"Ow!" I yelp. My blood starts dripping into the goblet.

"I will need more of Northman's blood," she says to Rosamund.

I look up at Rosamund. She unties a small leather brown pouch. In it was a vial of blood which she hands over to the old woman.

Again she starts saying the same chants from the night before. The vibe in the air was similar but somehow stronger. Her chants become more faster and louder. Her white hair starts to rise up. She opens her eyes which have now become black. My breathing becomes more erratic. I wanted to crawl away from her but yet I couldn't move my limbs even though the were had let me go.

The wind starts swirling around us and a bright light engulfs the area. In one swift moment I feel as though something has been literally ripped from my soul.

Her chants start to fade and slow down as the light dims.

I was having a hard time breathing and I couldn't move my arms or legs. I was absolutely weak. I mustered up some strength and checked my bond with Eric. I couldn't feel him anymore, not even the hum of our bond that reminded me it was there.

I tilt my head towards the old woman who was still sitting up close by with the help of another vampire. She looked weakened too.

"We will continue shortly," she says.

A tear slides down the side of my face. "Please come soon," I whisper to myself.

**Eric's POV: **

The sun was going to set soon, but not soon enough. I lie still in this coffin waiting for the darkness to rise. I use this time to contemplate my next move. My main objective was to ensure the safety of Sookie. I needed to get her away from the danger that I could feel she was in. Last night she had opened up her end of the bond and all her emotions started flooding out, filling me. I could feel her fear, determination, and most of all her love. She still loved me. Despite of all that she has said she still loved me. This new revelation would make my task of winning her forgiveness easier. Along with her love for me, her friends, and her family, I could feel her love for _him _as well. It took all my self control to stop myself from ripping his head off his shoulders last night on the plane. I could even smell her on him. I hated him even more, more than I hated Rosamund and De Castro combined.

But to ensure Sookie's safety I needed his help. If Rosamund was able to breach Marten's security and kidnap Sookie, then there was no telling how strong her defences were. If she wanted to kill Sookie she would have done so in New York. I had a feeling there was an ulterior motive. She was going to attempt to break the bond with the help of magic. It took powerful magic to break a vampire bond. She must have found a very strong witch to perform the task. _He_ said that she had come to him claiming that she had a way to break our bond. As much as I hated _him _I needed his help. He was one of the oldest vampires who still existed and had mysterious powers. His powers may be useful in bringing down the witch. Marten was almost as equally strong as me. I had fought with him in many battles and I knew how proficient he was with a sword. Pamela was also capable of holding her own in combat. Before leaving New York I had called some of my people to come with us. I had five of my vampire guards as well as four of my were guards with us to fight Rosamund.

_Knock, knock..._ "Master have you risen?" a voice asks.

It was Pam. I punch in the code and the door of the coffin swings open. We had landed in Martinique early this morning and the weres had brought us to an underground lair during the day.

I get up and look around the small room. Marten was sitting on a chair slowly sharpening his sword and _he _was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his eyes closed with his sword beside him. My vampire guards were circling the room.

"It's about time you woke up Eric. I thought for vampires, the older you get, the earlier you rise. I guess it is the reverse with you. Is old age taking its toll on you?" Marten smirks.

I glare back at him.

"Can you still feel her?" _he _asks, looking up at me from the floor.

"Yes," I snap back. The bond had weakened as we were getting closer. Whatever spell was being performed had not been completed. I suspected it needed to be done at least three times for it to work. I worried about Sookie. I had felt a slight convulsion the moment that I felt the bond weaken. If the witch completed the spell, I feared that she would not be strong enough to survive.

"I calculate she is about sixty kilometres away," I say. I take out my cell and send a text to Taylor, one of my weres, who was securing a helicopter for the short trip. I tell them to standby. It was still about twenty minutes till the sun set. "What about you?"

He stands up and picks up his sword, putting it into its case. "About the same," he replies.

"Master take me with you," Pam says. I was going to fly to Rosamund's island as well as _him. _The weres and other vampireswere to go by helicopter.

"It is impossible. The extra weight would slow me down and every second is precious," I tell her.

"So Eric what is your master plan that you haven't fully let us in on?" Marten asks as he leans against the wall. "I mean you do have a plan don't you Eric?"

He smiles at me. "You don't have to answer that Eric, because we have our own plan. Why don't you just stand back and clean up the damage that is left behind by my master and me. We've always worked better alone. You and your little posse would just get in the way."

I growl at him. In a blink of an eye, I hold him up by the collar.

"Enough," _he _says. "Marten and I will handle the witch and rescue Sookie. You can deal with your wife."

I drop Marten. "You will not go anywhere near Sookie. You gave me your word, she is mine!" I sneer.

He blinks at me. "Alright if she is within your reach then I will not interfere, but if I see that she is in any imminent danger and I am able to assist her, I will. Surely you will not object to that."

I think for a moment and reply. "Agreed."

We race out of the underground lair to the helicopter pad the exact moment the sun goes down. I give the coordinates to the pilot.

I also give the weres and my vampires some orders. "You will jump into the water when you are close. Do not land on the island. Do not attack until I have properly assessed the area. We do not know how dangerous the situation is."

Just as Pam is about to reply, Marten blurts out loudly, "Yes sir!" and mockingly salutes me.

I growl at him as the helicopter ascends into the sky.

"Time is being wasted and like you said, every second is precious," _he _says just before shooting up into the sky.

With that being said, I take off trailing closely behind him. We get closer to our destination and Sookie's emotions were becoming stronger. Her fear was growing along with her apprehension. In an instant I feel something, a strange surge rippling through me. It feels as though a huge part of me was being taken away. It is almost agonizing. The emotional turmoil is so great that I lose focus flying and fall from the sky and into the sea. I am weakened. I couldn't move so I sink further like a dead weight into the sea. I try to reach out to Sookie, but she was no longer part of me.

**To be continued... **


	30. Chapter 30

**Eric's POV:**

The darkness and cold of the sea was consuming me. Water was filling the lungs that I had no use for. I could barely move my fingers much less my legs.

Was this how it was supposed to end, by myself, alone, at the bottom of a sea? Whatever had occurred had drained all my energy and most importantly, severed my tie to Sookie. I didn't know what was worse; not having the bond with her anymore or meeting my end in the darkness of the water. What many people didn't know was that another way vampires could die was by prolonged exposure to bitter cold.

As I try to come to terms with my fate, a pair of arms band around me and bring me up. We reach the surface and I cough out the water from my lungs.

"What happened?" he asks.

"The bond has diminished," I reply weakly.

"A part of the witch's spell I assume," he says. "Can you fly?"

I attempt to gather up some strength but there is none. I shake my head in shame.

"I shall carry you then," he says.

"I would rather sink to the bottom of this sea than have you carry me," I tell him severely. I was not going to give him the satisfaction of humiliating me in such a way.

"Is that all you care about at this moment? Your pride? Whatever has affected you has probably affected Sookie even more. She may be dying and all you care about is your damn pride!" he growls.

He was right. I was being selfish and putting Sookie's life in even more danger. Even though I couldn't feel her I knew that she must be in worse shape than I. "Fine."

He hooks my arms around his neck and we fly the short distance to Rosamund's private island. As we approach we could see torches and the movement of people on the island. Most were gathered around near the top of the island. One small area was covered by a dark mist that we could not see through.

We land near the shore and I lie on the beach still barely unable to move, but it was slowly coming back.

"I think you need vampire blood. I will give you mine in order for you to gain your strength back," he says.

"No," I say in a harsh tone. "I will never take anything from you. I will not let you have that power over me."

He looks down at me. "I knew that was going to be your answer, but I had to offer. Your child's blood should be strong enough to heal you."

"I think you will be safe here for the moment. The others will be here shortly," he says. "I will assess the area." He flies away.

I use my vampire instincts to sense any immediate danger. There was none but dark, sinister magic was heavy in the air. The evil was all around and protecting this island.

A few minutes later he lands down beside me. "From what I could see there are about fifty vampires; many of them do not appear to be more than two hundred years old. There are also about twenty weres. I could not see Sookie nor your wife or the witch, but I suspect that they may be behind the dark mist. I have no doubt that magic is behind it as I was not able to get close."

"There must be some type of object that is creating a barrier," I say. "We have to find it and destroy it."

He thinks for a moment. "If Sookie is in there you may be able to get passed the barrier since you are still technically bonded to her. The witch has not yet completely broken the bond."

Just then Pam and the others swim up to the shore. She sees me and immediately comes to my side.

"Master what did he do to you?" she says angrily.

"It's the side-effects of the spell," I tell her. "Quick, I need your blood."

She bites her wrist and holds it to my mouth. I take in her blood and already I could feel my strength returning.

I rise to my feet. "Stay here and wait for my signal," I tell my weres.

In vampire speed, we run up the hill, through the trees. Along the way I snap the necks of two weres who were patrolling nearby. We reach the magical barrier and stop.

"Whatever is creating the barrier is probably in the form of an amulet. Witches are fond of those," hesays.

I glance at him and then at Pam. "Kill as many as you can once the barrier is gone, but leave Rosamund to me," I tell Pam and my vampire guards.

I stand at the foot of the dark mist, hoping, praying to the gods that I am able to pass through. I take a step in and much to my relief I am able to get through. I walk through the haze cautiously, my vampire senses on full alert.

I continue to walk until I hear voices, particularly the sound of a woman chanting in an old Japanese dialect.

I circle around quietly until the haze begins to fade away. I hide behind a large boulder and watch the scene unfold. I see Sookie. She was lying on the ground completely still, her eyes fluttering, struggling to remain open. I could sense that she was close to death. There was an ancient Asian vampiress who was performing the spell. Her chants were getting faster and an eerie light was beginning to form around them.

Quickly, I look around the area. There were only five others: one were, two vampires, a human whom I recognized as Ari Durant, and Rosamund. She had a small satisfied smile on her face as she watched. I clench my fists, refraining myself from attacking her right now. I needed to destroy the amulet. I spot a large ruby and gold necklace on a gold platter near the two vampires who were standing behind Rosamund.

I size up the vampires. They looked strong but were no match for me. I pull out my sword and get ready.

In one swift move I am in front of them slicing their heads off before anyone can detect me. Using all my strength, I plunge my sword into the amulet and successfully shatter it.

"Eric!" Rosamund yells frantically.

The were lunges at me but I slice his head off as well.

"Finish the spell!" Rosamund yells before running away in vampire speed. Ari flees running in the same direction.

The witch's chants are more rapid, her pupils are blackened as she raises a dagger over Sookie. I could feel the magic working as I begin to get weaker. With the last ounce of my strength I go to them, grab the dagger from witch's hands and crack it in half.

"Nooooo! You will pay for that!" the witch screams out. She raises her hands and begins a different chant directed at me. I find myself unable to retaliate or move.

She suddenly stops and looks over my shoulder. I could see smoke coming out of her body. She says something quickly and then disappears.

I turn around and see Pam, my vampire guards, Marten and him. "Good work Eric," Marten says.

Suddenly there is the sound of rapid movement around us and a contingent of vampires begins to attack. Weres soon join in the fight against us.

I stand and fight by Sookie protecting her. _He _was close by defending her too. I swing my sword and kill at seven of them.

"Draw them away from here," he says to Marten.

Marten nods as he and the others begin moving the fighting away from Sookie.

I kneel down and hold Sookie close to me. She was very cold.

"Sookie can you hear me?" I whisper in her ear. I receive no response.

"Lover open your eyes," I say in a gentle tone. She was breathing slowly and still unresponsive.

"Get her away from here. The evil that was created is still heavy in the air and it is killing her," he says.

I pick her up and he stares at her one last time. I could see the pain in his eyes.

"Give her your blood and take hers as soon as possible," he says softly. "It will reverse the spell and reaffirm your bond with her."

I nod my head in respect and fly away with Sookie.

* * *

**A/N: Another short chapter, but the next one will be longer, I promise. It will be the final chapter and I guess I will write an epilogue too. I'm still unsure about a sequel but we'll see what happens. **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: The final chapter and an epilogue will follow shortly. I got some time on my hands now so I should be able to get that out soon. **

**Marius' POV:**

There were no words from any of the dozens and dozens of languages that I was fluent in that could describe how I felt while watching him leave with her. It was painful, more painful than when my maker decided to end her existence. But I had to let her go. I had given my word to him. I had no doubt that she would feel the pain of our separation as much as I have. She would feel the emptiness and the unbearable ache. But in time she would understand why it had to be done. She knew that honour was one of the most important things to me. It would have been dishonourable of me to go back on my word. I do not know how long I stand in the same place staring out into the darkness of the trees. A stake could have been plunged into my body and I would not have noticed. It is not until my son pushes his concern through our bond that I come out of my haze.

"Father?" Marten says in a questionable and worried tone.

I close my eyes briefly in an effort to relieve the pain and turn around.

"We have destroyed most of them. Several of them have fled up the hill," he says. Eric's child and vampire bodyguards were standing behind him. Several weres stand in the distance.

"Pursue them, but be mindful. The witch may have cast more spells," I say to him and the others.

"My master is calling me back," Eric's child says. "I have to go," she adds, looking at Marten.

"Go Pam," Marten says. "It was a pleasure fighting alongside you." He takes hold of her hands and places a kiss on them.

She smiles at him one last time and leaves. The vampire guards and weres follow her.

"I guess it's just you and me like always," Marten says. I nod weakly.

"The ones that fled up the hill looked to only be about 100 or 200 years old. They are no match for us," he says.

"They don't concern me, but that witch does. She is much older than I," I tell him. "She seems... familiar to me, her scent. I don't you want you to go anywhere near her, do you understand? Kill the others, but leave her to me."

"Yes father," he says. I could tell that he wanted to say more but decided against it.

We run swiftly up the hill until we reach another clearing that was tainted with evil witchcraft. We stand still, surveying the danger around us.

Suddenly a malevolent laugh and a dark fog fill the air. Marten glances around to find her but I know that her evil presence was everywhere.

"I knew that one day we would meet," she says and continues to laugh. "It is time that you pay for your sins." She begins to recite an incantation.

For a moment I wonder what she is referring to and the memory of how I am associated with her comes to me. "Marten, leave now!"

The fog quickly dissipates but Marten does not retreat. Instead he slowly walks forward with his sword in his hand.

"Marten, leave!" I order him once more but it was too late.

He stops moving forward and slowly turns around, revealing completely white eyes.

"I will send you to hell where you will feel nothing but excruciating pain for eternity! It is the only thing that you deserve!" he snarls in a voice that was not his own.

He swings his sword at me and begins attacking me. I defend myself against him but he seems to be quicker and stronger than usual.

"Stand down!" I try to command him again through our bond but I fail. I try to reach out to him through our connection but I meet what I can only describe as a dead end. It was like he was not my child anymore; that he was no longer there. The evil entity had taken over his body.

Marten is becoming even more stronger and faster. It is getting difficult to defend myself against his blade so I try something else. I use my power and focus it on him. He instantly falls to his knees screaming out in agony. He places his hands on his head as though trying to alleviate the pain.

"What are you doing to me?" he growls angrily. "It burns!"

"You will let my son go," I angrily command.

I hear the same sinister laugh and look up to see the witch approaching us.

"It is strange how children react to situations. One moment they are obeying your every whim and the next they defy you," she speaks in Japanese. "I once had a child, a very long time ago in Japan. He was the best fighter in the East. I had arranged for him to train with the very best so that he may take full advantage of his natural talent. But there was one problem with him. He had an ability, an unfortunate ability that allowed him to disobey me despite our maker/child bond. He wanted to leave me and so he did. I cried to him to stay with me but he told me that he wanted to explore the world on his own. He promised me that he would return but he never did. One night our connection was severed and I knew that he met his final death. Words cannot describe the anguish that I felt. When you lose a child, it is as though a large piece of your soul is suddenly gone. I later found out that it was you who ended him and I vowed that you would one day experience the anguish of a loss of a child. You will know how it feels like to be robbed of a beloved child that you nurtured. I have patiently waited for this moment for too long."

I look at her and at Marten. "I am sorry for your loss but I will not apologise. I did what had to be done. If he were to have survived he would killed an infinite number of vampires and humans. He was a danger to himself and to our kind. You said so yourself that you were not able to control him. As for my child, you will not take his life. Let him go before I end yours."

She laughs again, "You can try but you will not succeed. I am much more older and powerful than you. He _will _meet his final death by your hand," she points. "I must go and prepare myself for I will be bringing a new child into our world. A child who possesses fae powers and maybe more. When she is turned she will become the most powerful vampire our world will ever see."

"You will not go anywhere near her," I threaten.

She smiles, her rotten teeth showing. "She will be under my control soon enough and when she is, you will be the first vampire that she destroys." She vanishes soon afterwards.

I look down to see Marten still moaning in pain. "Father" he calls out weakly.

I release some of my power on him and he looks up at me. His eyes have returned to normal and I can feel him through our bond.

"Marten, be still. This will all be over very soon," I assure him.

"I can't fight it for much longer," he grunts. "It feels like a dark shadow is overtaking me and it wants nothing more than to kill you. I don't think it will stop until it does."

"I know," I tell him. "It is a wicked curse and irreversible. It can only be broken until its task is done."

"Then kill me father," he croaks out. "I will not allow it to complete its deed."

"No," I respond. I lay my sword on the ground in defeat. "It is my desire that you live. You are my son and the best part of me. As long as you remain, I will truly be immortal. I need you to help protect Sookie."

"I cannot!" he cries out.

I drop to my knees and release him completely from my power. He stands up and I look into his eyes, "Do it. I command you as your maker."

He sobs as he picks up his sword. He raises it to his side at the level of my neck. "I love you father."

"I love you too," I tell him one last time.

Just as he is about to strike, he plunges it through his chest and heart. He falls to the ground and his body disintegrates.

I am completely shocked beyond words.

"Marten?" I manage to whisper. A bloody tear rolls down the side of my face as I reach out to touch his blood. I slowly raise my hand to my mouth and taste it. For a brief second I irrationally allow myself to hope that it was not his but it was.

"MARTEN NOOO!" I cry out in overwhelming grief. I recall the time when I created him, when I gave him the life that he should have been given in humanity. I remember all those years of training him and teaching him everything that I knew. I remember every journey and the battles that we won together. The tears flow from my eyes as the memories flash through my mind.

Quickly, my grief is overtaken by rage, a blinding rage that consumes me. I look down. My hands and arms are fire red. My senses are heightened even more as I locate the one who took my son's life. She will pay dearly for what she has done. I now have a better sense of where she was so I set off to fulfill my new mission.

**Sookie's POV:**

I was vaguely aware of the feeling that I was being carried somewhere. Was I dead? Was my soul being carried away to heaven? I could feel the gentle breeze on my face, the waves crashing against the shore and the soft murmurs of someone's voice in my ear.

"Sookie? Wake up for me please," the gentle voice says. I could feel the light caress along my cheek and forehead. Marius? It had to be him, he found me! I try my hardest to open up my eyes.

At first my vision is blurry but the image of the person before me becomes clearer.

"Eric?" I say in a raspy voice.

"Shhh... Sookie you are safe now. Everything is going to be fine," he says.

"Where are we?" I ask. "The old woman, the witch, where is she?"

"We are on the beach," he answers. "Do not worry about her, she has been taken of."

"Is it just you here?" I ask him. _Is Marius with you? _I wanted to ask.

"Yes it is just you and me here on the beach. I will be calling Pam and my royal guards back shortly," he says.

"Oh," I say feeling disappointed. My breaths were in short huffs. I felt like I was having an asthma attack. I was so cold.

"I'm so cold Eric," I whisper, shivering.

He clicks out his fangs and raises his wrist. "You need my blood. It will give your strength and make you well again."

"Was our bond broken by her?" I ask.

"No, but it has been weakened and in turn has made you very weak. If you take my blood our bond will be strengthened once more," he says.

I glance at his wrist, then at him and shake my head. "No Eric. Perhaps it is better this way. It will help both of us to move on."

"Sookie, you need my blood or you will not survive," he pleads.

I shake my head again. "No, if it is vampire blood that I need, then let me drink from another source like Pam or one of your guards. Did Marius come with you?"

He is silent for several seconds before finally speaking. "Yes he was here."

"Then I will drink from him," I state.

He gives me a severe look. "You do not understand Sookie. This spell was designed to break the bond between us. It is only my blood that can heal you," he says firmly.

I look into his eyes and I can see that he was telling the truth. I contemplate my options for a moment. Die on this beach or re-establish my bond with Eric and apparently I didn't have a whole lot of time to think it over.

"Okay," I reluctantly answer.

He bites down on his wrist, puts it against my mouth and I drink in the familiar sweet taste of Eric's blood. Instantly I could feel the effects. The hum of our bond was returning and I could feel his emotions as though they were my own. Lust, love and worry were the dominant. My strength was returning and I was able to move my limbs with ease and breathe normally.

He leans down and places small kisses on the side on my face. I would be lying to myself if I said his touch did not stir up anything within me. I close my eyes and breathe in his familiar scent. He starts kissing the side of my neck and bites through my skin. By then, the wound on his wrist has healed and I could feel the pull of my blood as he drinks from me. I wanted to tell him to stop, that this was not part of our understanding. But I couldn't utter the words. The arousal and desire within me was so overpowering that I bite down on his wrist with all my might and drink from him again.

His other hand moves down my side and underneath my skirt. I faintly hear the tear of my panties. With the barrier gone he begins to rub my clit. I could hear the rational side within me telling me to stop, that this was wrong. Though my body desired this, my mind began screaming at me to end this physical encounter.

I open my eyes and remove my mouth from his wrist. "Eric stop! You are taking too much from me!" And I didn't just mean the blood.

Right away he removes his fangs from my neck and licks the wound.

"You weren't supposed to bite me!" I yell as I try to push him away.

"To reaffirm our bond, it had to be a mutual exchange," he says. "I had assumed that you knew this."

"Well I did kind of know that!" I huff, "But you failed to mention that it would happen here and now!"

He shrugs his shoulders and smirks.

"God, you were always so high-handed!" I say angrily. "And could you please remove your hand!"

I clamped my fingers around his wrist to remove it from between my thighs which he allows. This was almost like déjà vu.

He leans on his side as I get up. I smooth out my clothes and look around for my panties. Just then Pam, some other vampires and weres arrive.

"Master," Pam says bowing down. She then looks me over and frowns.

"I see that you are well," she says in a sarcastic tone.

I wanted to reply but before I could Eric says "Enough! What of the battle?"

"All the weres are dead. Some vampires fled the scene before we could get to them. Rosamund, her witch and her human were nowhere to be found," she says in a bored tone. "Marten and Marius have gone to pursue them."

"Marius? Where is he? Is he okay?" I frantically ask.

"Contact the were on the boat. Tell him to come here right now. You will leave this place with Sookie and rendezvous with me in St. Martinique," Eric instructs Pam.

She nods and begins speaking on her walkie-talkie.

"Pam! You didn't answer my question, where is he?" I say loudly but she ignores me.

"Sookie you will go with Pam back to the main island," Eric says.

"No!" I growl, "I'm not going anywhere without Marius! Now you tell me where he is!"

He looks at me for a few seconds. "Leave us. I need to speak to my bonded alone." I watch all the vampires leave. The weres were still in their wolf forms.

"He has given up his claim on you," he says casually.

"What? What do you mean?" I snap.

"He has agreed to not interfere in our relationship anymore Sookie. You are mine and now he has come to terms with it," he states.

I stare blankly at him. "N- n- noo he would never do that. He said that he would always be there for me as long as I needed him," I blurt out. "He would _never _do that. He would never go back on his word unless..."

"What did you do Eric?" I say quietly.

"I did what I had to, to get you back. Like I told you, you are mine and always will be," he says. "We reached an agreement. He has accepted that you are mine."

"You can't just do that Eric! You can't play with people's lives, make decisions for them and expect them to accept it!" I shriek. "You know what, I don't accept your so-called agreement. Me, the person that you are treating like a commodity refuses to accept your contract!"

"I am going to find Marius. Don't even try to stop me!" I yell. I try to walk away but he gets a hold of me from behind.

"Sookie, please just accept this," he says in a low tone in my ear.

"Eric, let go of me!" I say as I struggle in his grasp.

"Sookie just hear me out," he says as he loosens his grip around my waist.

"No I am done listening to you!" I tell him.

"Listen to me please," he pleads. "I beg you."

I stop struggling and try to catch my breath. "Alright say what you need to say, but make it quick." He releases me and I turn around to look at him.

"Sookie, you know that I love you. I love you more than anyone that I have ever known from both my life as a man and as a vampire. And I know that you loved me just as much. I felt it every time we made love, every moment that we shared together. I know that you love me still," he says.

"Eric, I can't go back, I have moved on. What we had was amazing but it's over now..."

"Sookie I know that you still love me. You can deny it all you want but I can feel it through our bond," he says.

I sigh. "Of course I still love you. I will love you up until my last breath but it's not the same. I don't feel the same intense love that I felt for you before everything went to hell. You need to understand that I've changed, we both have changed. I love Marius and I want to be with him. I can't just ride off into the sunset with you, metaphorically speaking of course," I say.

"Give me a chance. Give me a chance to make things right between us. I know that you can love me again as much as you did before. Just give me the chance to win your love back," he says looking at me with such intensity that it feels like he is staring into my heart and soul.

I wanted to lie. I wanted to tell him that that it was impossible for something to happen between us again. But I couldn't because it wouldn't be the truth. I knew that it was possible but I just wasn't sure I wanted to go through that again. I think back to all the times that we spent together. When he was there for me at my darkest points, when I thought I couldn't go on anymore. I remember all the times that he made me smile and laugh despite the fact that it went against his vampire nature. I think back to all the special moments that we shared when it just me and him madly in love and shutting out the rest of the world. He was my family and always would be.

But something that I hadn't anticipated occurred. I never dreamed that I could love someone else as much as Eric. What Marius and I had was very special too. He brought me back from the brink of despair; he saved my life. Of course this wasn't the only reason that I loved him. Unlike Eric, he was patient, kind and selfless right from the beginning. I loved being with him partly because he made me feel so happy and content when I had thought those emotions no longer existed within me. I know that he loved me just as much. Would he really just give me up that easily?

I gulp back the tears. "I don't know Eric. I mean I can't believe that he would just abandon me, leave me without an explanation."

He grips my arms softly. "We belong together Sookie, you cannot deny that and it is not just because of the bond. Give me a chance and I swear to you that I will make up for all the wrong that has happened between us. I will give you the time and space so that you can learn to love me again. We will make a fresh start, create a new life together."

"I... I can't make this kind of a big decision right now. I need some time. I need to talk to Marius," I respond. "I need to hear it from his own mouth that he no longer wants to be with me and then I need some time."

"Sookie that is impossible..." he says but I cut him off.

"No it's not! If you really care for me as much as you say you do then you will let me do this. Please Eric," I begged.

He takes less than a minute to think it over. "Alright, but I am coming with you."

I sigh in relief. I didn't want him to accompany me but I doubted Eric would let me go without him. "Okay, so which way?"

"I will fly you up to our last location. We should be able to figure out which direction he took," he says.

"Pam," he calls out. She suddenly appears from the darkness. "Meet us at the last place when we were with Marten and his maker. Be cautious," he orders.

She nods in compliance and runs off.

"Climb on my back Sookie," he says, which I do. We take to the sky and fly up the hill, heading towards the spot where the witch was performing the spell on me. I suddenly get the jitters.

"You are safe with me," Eric says after feeling my apprehension.

We land on the spot and look around the area for clues of their whereabouts. A minute later Pam appears.

"I think they went that way..." Pam says before two vampires tackle Eric to the ground. I react and barely move out of the way before I become his landing cushion. Eric's sword lands at my feet and before I could even blink, there are four more vampires attacking both Eric and Pam.

"Sookie, run!" Eric yells after tearing off the arm of one of the attackers.

I pick up his sword and start running but I don't get very far before Rosamund appears in front of me. She flicks the sword out of my hand.

"Well, well, well, you are a hard one to kill," she sneers. "I guess it has always been a job that was meant for me."

"No, if anyone is going to die here it is going to be you, you crazy bitch!" I snarl finding some new confidence within me.

She laughs loudly. "You must be the crazy one if you really think that a stupid pathetic human can kill me." She raises her blade, "This is truly going to be a rare pleasure and the best thing is that Eric is here to see you die."

"You're right about the fact that a human probably can't kill you, but a fae can!" Instinctively, I silently call out to Eric's sword. It appears in my hand and I block Rosamund's swing. She is momentarily stunned and I take the opportunity to begin my attack. We clash swords for a few minutes until I use another power within me. I raise my palm against her and a powerful force sends her flying and landing about ten feet away. With the strength and the agility of a vampire, I am in front of her and pick her up by the throat.

"I would let you go if I knew that you would leave me alone, but I can't see that happening," I tell her. "Sorry about this."

I plunge Eric's sword into her chest and she fall to bits spraying blood everywhere. Strangely though, none of her blood gets on me.

"Sookie?" Eric says behind me, "You are glowing."

I turn around and he is looking at me with fascination in his eyes. "You are beautiful."

I look down and my skin is luminescent with a light bluish tone. I look over at Pam who is staring at me in awe.

"I—I—I don't know what happened," I stammer. "It was like all of a sudden I knew what to do to protect myself. I'm sorry about her," I say pointing to Rosamund's blood.

"Do not apologize for ending her. I am only upset that I was not the one who did it." He comes up to me and caresses my cheek. "You are finding your strength," he says.

I look around and there are large blood splatters around the area. I also spot Ari's body lying face first on the ground. _Good riddance, _I think to myself in an un-Christian like manner. I look at Pam again hoping that she didn't want to take a bite out of me, but she doesn't move from her place.

Just then we hear a loud cry which sounded like someone in absolute pain. I recognize the voice instantly.

"Marius," I whisper. My light dims and I look over at Eric. "We have to go help him," I say. He nods and I hitch onto his back again. We fly upwards towards an area that made the tiny hairs on my neck stand up.

We land on the ground and survey the scene. There was more blood near a sword. Eric walks over to the spot, smears some of the blood on his fingertips and sniffs it.

"Who..." I say in a small voice almost not wanting to hear the answer.

He turns around with a forlorn expression, "It is Marten's blood."

I put my palm across my mouth to muffle my cries as the tears flow. We are joined by Pam and she reacts by dropping to her knees. Tears of blood were flowing from her eyes.

All of a sudden we see sparks and large bursts of fire in the air accompanied by the sound of Marius' battle cry about fifty yards away. Immediately I start running towards it but Eric stops me.

"It's too dangerous Sookie," he says.

"Eric, I can protect myself. You just witnessed it for yourself," I yell out.

"Yes but I don't think you can manage it properly yet," he says.

"But we need to help him," I plead.

"He's an ancient vampire with powerful gifts. He can handle himself," he says.

"Obviously not well enough," I say gesturing to Marten's blood. "We can help him. I know we can."

"Please master. That old hag killed Marten, she must pay," Pam cries.

He deliberates for a brief moment and finally says, "Very well, but stay close to me."

We run through the bush at human speed toward the loud sounds and lights. We stop dead in our tracks when we reach the fighting that was going on. The scene was almost something out of a science fiction movie. Marius and the witch were throwing large balls of red fire at each other. She look mentally deranged, more so than before. Her eyes were completely pitched black and black foam was coming out of her mouth. Her white hair was giving off sparks that were flickering towards her hands. I guess that must have been how she conjured up fire balls. Marius was glowing red. His blue eyes were replaced by fiery red ones. He was matching every fire ball that the witch was throwing at him but he looked like he was starting to tire out. He took high leaps in the air in an attempt to thwart her, but so far she was defending herself extremely well fighting against him.

Red sparks rain down on us and Eric shields me from it. "Come on," I say to myself, trying to invoke my newfound power while staring down at my palms.

"Sookie, you don't know...," Eric worriedly says but he doesn't get the chance to finish before my bluish glow returns and I could feel the power flowing within my body.

I take several steps forward and yell, "Hey!" They both stop and turn to look at me. Immediately I gather up some energy to form a ball of blue light that I fling against the witch. She tries too late to retaliate and the force sends her flying backwards. The energy singes every strand of her hair and she lays on the ground bald. But she doesn't stay down for long. She is on her feet a few seconds later baring her rotten teeth and black foam from her mouth.

"That's quite a talent you have," she says crudely. Her eyes become glossier.

"Sookie don't look into her eyes!" Marius yells but it's too late. I become entranced and can't look away.

"Come to me," she says and I obey. I still had control over my mind but it seemed she was in control of my body.

"No!" I hear Eric yell, followed by a loud thump and a painful grunt. I hear another thump and a female groan behind me which must have been Pam as I continue to walk towards the witch.

"You will join me," she says. "Together we will be the most powerful vampires this world has ever known."

I try to scream but I can't when she grabs me by the arms. Her touch feels like hundreds of tiny needles piercing through me. She lets go and grabs a small tiny dagger from a pouch around her neck. She leans in and is just about to bite my neck before I am thrown aside and land on the ground. I look up to see Marius slicing her head off with his sword. But somehow, even after losing her head, she manages to raise her hand and stab her tiny dagger into his chest.

He falls to the ground and I crawl to him. When I reach him, I put his head on my lap.

"It has punctured my heart," he says.

Tears fall from my eyes. "Tell me what to do," I say in a shaky voice. I wanted to pull the dagger out but was afraid what would happen.

"There is nothing that can be done," he says in a low voice. More tears fall from my eyes and I let out a few sobs.

"Please don't leave me," I sob.

He continues, "There comes a time when one's existence must come to an end. Perhaps mine is now."

"Please do not cry," he says putting his hand on my cheek. "I have experienced more happiness and love with you during these past few months than all my time on this earth combined."

"But I don't think it was supposed to end this way. We just found each other," I whisper. "We were supposed to have more time together."

"Yes," he responds as a single red tear drops from his eyes. "But I will take our memories with me to the afterlife and wait for you."

"Promise?" I ask him.

"I promise," he says. "We will be together again just not in this life. I want you to live. I want you be happy and free. Promise me that you will fulfill every dream that you have and once it is time, we shall meet again and be together forever."

I continue to cry silently. I didn't know how to do this. How do you say goodbye to someone that you didn't want to let go of? "I promise," I say with a trembling voice. "I love you. I will love you always."

"I love you too with every fibre of my being," he responds. He smiles at me one last time before closing his eyes.

"Marius?" I whisper. I shake him a little but he doesn't respond. He was gone. A light gust of wind goes by us and I let out a loud cry. I close my eyes, trying to decide what to do next. I didn't want to live without him. There was an emotion within me that was adamant about the fact that he should live.

I open my eyes, stop crying and focus on that emotion. I place both my hands over the dagger and the blue light engulfs us both. I focus all my energy on removing it and sure enough it inches slowly out of his chest until it is completely out. I throw it across the ground and zap it away with my power. I place my palm over his stab wound and it begins to heal.

"Come back," I whisper. All of a sudden I could feel his energy and emotions returning to his body. Tiny bright sparkles surround us as he breathes in and open his eyes. He looks at me with a bewildered expression. "You did this?" he asks.

I smile down at him. "Yes I figured it was fair. You healed my heart once upon a time, now I have healed yours."

He sits up with a huge grin on his face. I smile back at him and wrap my arms around his neck as he hugs me back. I put my lips against his and we share a kiss. We stay in our intimate moment for what seems like hours, blissfully unaware our surroundings until heartbreak and pain courses through the bond between Eric and I. We break away from each other and I look over his shoulder at Eric who is staring at us with a pained expression written across his face. Marius glances over his shoulder and back at me with a sombre expression on his face.

"You need to go back to him," he says, his voice filled with sadness. "I gave him my word. He is your bonded."

I am overcome with grief yet again as I try to hold back more tears. I nod weakly and we both get up. He grabs both of my hands and we just stand there gazing at each other for a few minutes. I didn't want it to end. But I needed to think positively about this, even if I didn't want to leave him. Life had a way of setting things right. I had to believe that was the truth, since after all, I had just saved him from permanent death.

I hug him once more. "I'm sorry about Marten," I mumble against him. "He was a good man and a good vampire. He shouldn't have died. It was my fault. It was because of me."

"Do not blame yourself for his death," he says softly. "Before you brought me back I saw him. His message to you was to not blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. He would've laid down his life for you."

I reluctantly tear myself away from his arms and wipe the tears from my eyes. I was kind of hoping that he would whisk me away from here. But that wasn't going to happen. He grabs my hand and we walk together towards Eric. Pam was nowhere in sight.

"Treat her well, help her grow into her powers and always protect her," Marius tells Eric. "But most importantly, let her be free. It is only during that time that Sookie is truly happy."

Eric nods his head. I walk towards him and he scoops me up into his arms.

I looked back at Marius. "I don't want to say goodbye, so I guess I'll just say see you later."

He barely manages a smile, "See you later," he replies back.

I smile at him once more before Eric takes flight into the sky. As we fly, I stare at the bright crescent moon, wondering about the future.

**A/N: Okay I know you are thinking... WTF! IS THAT IT? But remember, I still have an epilogue to write out which I sort of have an idea of. So I will be posting again soon. Take care and have a good day **


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Epilogue! Finally I got my writing mojo back. The final chapter of this story. I'm still debating on a sequel but I would like to finish my other story first. I got some ideas that I could write for a potential sequel but we shall see what happens. Thank you to all those who read my story and those who have just started. **

**Sookie's POV:**

I sit here on my porch swing thinking about all that had happened in the past several months. After leaving the island, Eric took me back to Louisiana. I had expected him to take me back to our Shreveport house but instead he drove me home to Bon Temps. It was a wonderful and comforting feeling to be back in the house that I grew up in. It was almost a nice consolation for all the bad things that occurred.

"I am keeping my promise to you," Eric said. "I am giving you the time and space to sort through your emotions. I want everything to be right between us again. Which is why we will do what you want and need."

But it wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to go back to Marius and I told him so, but he said it was not possible, partly because of our bond. Eventually I would have returned to him even if he had let me leave with Marius. I felt even more defeated and shed more tears. Eric carried me to my bed, gave me a chaste kiss on my cheek and left, but I didn't fall asleep. I laid there in my bed and cried that whole night. I cried for what we lost, I cried for him.

For the next four weeks, I fell into a deep depression. I barely ate, slept, or bathed. I walked around my house like a zombie. It was only until Jason and Tara became even more insistent that I snapped out of my funk. There were only a few times that I have seen my brother cry and that was one of those moments.

"Sookie, we need you," Jason cried. "You can't be doing this to yourself, looking like hell. You have no idea how hard it was for me, for everyone that loves you when you disappeared. We all thought you were dead. Now you're here and alive and you walk around looking like you want to die! That ain't right! Look what you got to live for. You've got me, Tara, your nephew, and your goddaughter. Don't be feeling sorry for what you don't have and be grateful for what you do have."

He was right. From that moment on I decided to try and be happy. One of the first things that I did was look for a job. I knew that Eric was paying for all the household bills and I needed that to end. I went through all the community bulletins looking for a job. Eventually I found one in Shreveport with a local barrister, a were woman, who was in need of a secretary. She was kind and honest for a lawyer. She worked hard for her clients, which just spurred me on to work harder for her.

To my surprise, Eric had kept his promise and gave me the space that I needed. He wasn't exactly the most considerate man especially when it came to what he wanted, but in this case he was. I guess even the most stubborn people could change and that included me. I eventually called him after a few months of silence. That night we talked on the phone for hours catching up on what we were doing. I told him about my new job and he told me a little about his kingdom. He was spending quite a bit of time in New Orleans. We didn't talk about the fallout about what happened in Martinique. He just said that he gave one of Rosamund's long-time lieutenants the territory of France. He also mentioned Felipe DeCastro which left me with the spine-tingling shivers. He said that he had not heard from Felipe or Victor in awhile which made me more nervous. I had just finally found some solitude and I didn't want it taken away from me again so soon. But Eric assured me that everything was fine. I had to trust him.

The next evening Eric sent me a bouquet of tulips along with a long letter. It was an apology letter that expressed all his feelings about what had happened between us. I read through it a few times before calling him to come over. Not surprisingly, he was already nearby. We spoke for awhile and I accepted his apology. I also asked him for forgiveness. I apologized for misleading him, for leaving him without even trying to work things out. I apologized for running away and causing him and others grief. Although I was still uncertain about my future, I told him that I could only offer friendship right now. To my surprise again, he accepted my offer.

Eric and I spoke about my newfound powers which had not returned to me since the battle near Martinique. He suggested that I call my cousin Claude for help in learning how to control it. Claude came over the next day and showed me ways to evoke it. After a few days the energy finally started to flow through me. Claude was amazed. He said that that some of the things that I could do were fae magic, but the other things I could do were something else, something that he was not familiar with. He said the source probably came from the same place where I inherited my telepathy from. Possibly from somewhere along my grandmother's family tree. _Just great! _I thought to myself. _Like I needed even more skeletons in my closet._ There were times that I wished that Jason could have inherited some of these things that had that just made life more difficult for me, but then I realized that if he had these powers, he would have used it foolishly.

I had filled my days by keeping busy with work, family and friends, but it was in the night time when I was lying in bed that I felt very lonely. I tried hard not to think about Marius, but to no avail. I thought about how he was doing, about whether or not he missed me as much as I missed him. Eric had only mentioned him once and said that he had taken over Marten's New York kingdom.

It was also only when Eric and I started talking to each other again that my relationship with Pam started to improve. Granted we probably would never be as close as we once were, but still I was glad that we were becoming friends again.

One night we went shopping and the subject of Marius came up.

"Do you like this?" I asked her, holding up a short ruffled mini jean skirt in front of her.

"It's hideous," she grunted. "It looks like something I wore back in the 80s."

I put the skirt back on the rack. I started walking to the next rack to look at some shirts.

"I'm going to New York next week," she said. I stopped dead in my tracks. "Marius asked me to go there to give me some of Marten's things," she said sadly.

My heart was racing. "How is he?" I whispered.

"I do not know," she answered. "We spoke briefly. He said that the things he wanted to give me were special items that Marten would have wanted me to have."

"Oh," I answered. "Did he... ummm ask about me?"

She sighed. "No, he didn't say anything else."

I felt crushed. I looked at the shirts as I tried to hold back the tears.

"You should probably know this Sookie," she said sombrely. "He is the king of New York now. And I have heard from a reputable source that he will be marrying a vampire queen from a Western Canadian province. It has been said that there will be an announcement soon."

I was feeling crushed a few moments ago, now I had felt like I couldn't breathe. I held onto the clothes rack to stop myself from collapsing.

Pam took me home after that. I wanted to be alone but she wouldn't hear of it. I laid my head on her lap as I cried my eyes out that night.

That was over three months ago.

So now I sit here on my porch looking out towards the sunset across the field. I still felt uncertain about my future, where life was going to lead me. I could only hope towards happiness. Despite how much it still hurt me, I wanted Marius to be happy as well. I breathe in the fresh air and look out at the sky which was a combination of a beautiful red and orange light with scattered white clouds all around.

My new little furry friend, a cat I named Dolly, comes running towards me and lands on my lap. She was a gift from Eric. She looks up at me with her big blue eyes, wanting me to pet her. I oblige her and run my hand over her soft white fur. She begins purring with contentment. I love listening to her purr, it was so peaceful.

"Do you want to go inside?" I ask her. She purrs even louder and I carry her inside to the kitchen. I open the pantry, take out the cat food and pour some in her bowl while petting her as she eats.

I wash my dishes and dry them as I hum an old country song that my grandmother used to listen to all the time. After finishing my task, I turn off the kitchen light and head towards my bedroom, when a strange feeling comes over me. I use my senses. There was a void nearby.

I knew it wasn't Pam or Eric. I also somehow knew that whoever was there wasn't going to harm me, so I slowly walk towards the door, open it and stand outside. I look around the area but I couldn't see or hear anything, but I knew that whoever was there was still watching.

"Marius?" I whisper. It had to be him.

I look around again. A few seconds later he is standing about ten feet away in front of me.

I gasp momentarily stunned. I felt overwhelmed with emotions. We stand there staring at each other for what feels like forever until I say, "Is it really you?" I pray to god that this wasn't a hallucination.

"Yes," he answers. He looks like he is having an internal struggle of whether to leave or come closer.

I react before he can decide by running to him and swinging my arms around his neck. I hold onto to him tightly just in case he disappears.

"I missed you so much," I cry. I can feel him put his arms around me slowly.

"I have wanted to come see you," he says quietly. "It has been difficult."

I sniffle against him, burying my face against his chest.

"Sookie we do not have much time," he says.

I cry more. I didn't want this to end. I wanted to beg him not to leave me, to promise me that we would never be apart again, but I couldn't. I didn't want him to make me promises that could end with more pain and sorrow. God knows what Eric would do if he knew that Marius was here. Plus there was also the possibility that he was married right now.

I take a deep breath and look up into his eyes. "Did you want to come inside?" I ask.

He glances up at the door, "No I do not think that would be a good idea."

I nod my head sadly.

He removes his arms from me as I reluctantly remove my arms around him. "You have been well?" he asks me.

I take a moment to think of my answer. "As well as can be expected."

"Your family is well?" he asks.

"Yes, my nephew is getting bigger every day. He knows who I am. His face lights up every time he sees me. My goddaughter will be starting school soon," I tell him.

"That is good. I am glad that you are with your family," he says.

"What have you been up to?" I ask which came out a little bit harsh.

"I have taken over Marten's responsibilities. I would not have been able to bear it if I had let everything that he worked so hard for fall apart."

"Pam said you were king now," I say quickly.

"Yes," he answers. "In order to effectively take over, I had to become king of his territory."

"How has that worked out for you?" I ask.

"It has been a learning process. There have been times when it has not been so easy, but I feel like I have gotten closer to Marten. I feel as though I have been learning more about him as I perform his daily duties," he says.

"Really?" I say in resigned tone. "I guess performing 'his daily duties' include screwing fangbangers and other supes." I say not holding back my jealousy. I immediately regret my words.

"Sookie..." he says but I stop him.

"That was a shitty thing for me to say. I'm sorry. It's okay Marius. You don't owe me any allegiance or anything like that. You can do whatever you want. I heard about your marriage. I guess congratulations are in order," I say trying not to sound bitter.

"Sookie, I am not married," he says quietly.

"What? But I thought..." I say bewildered.

"A vampire that Marten trusted has been helping me run the kingdom. He suggested that I enter into a royal marriage with another vampire from this continent. Somehow a queen from Canada heard about this suggestion and made me an offer. I immediately declined but she was relentless. She continued to pursue me until I had to confront her to end her pursuit," he explained.

"Oh," was all I could think of to say. "I thought that... that you had moved on," I stammered. "It hurt me a lot."

"I have fed from other humans, but only for that, to feed, nothing else. There will be no other woman for me but you," he says.

I close my eyes. All the sorrow and pain that I had been carrying with me drifts away.

I open my eyes to find him standing closer to me, looking down. I lean upwards as he leans down to kiss me. Our lips connect and immediately the familiar warmth and love surges through me.

We kiss for a few minutes before he breaks away.

"I have to go," he says. "I have only been allowed to remain in this territory for less than an hour."

"Eric knows you're here?" I ask.

"Yes he was the one who granted me permission to see you, but only for a short time."

_Why would he do that? _I ask myself.

"I wanted to thank you Sookie, for saving me. You saved me not only from my final death in Martinique, but also before that. Before you I was not living, just existing. When you came into my life, it was as though I had felt renewed, something that I had not felt since I was made into a vampire," he adds.

"But I wasn't able to save Marten. He died because of me..." I cry.

"Shhhh, it was not your fault. It was his time. When I saw him, he was happy and content where he was, where we both were."

"Were you in heaven?" I ask.

He thinks for a moment. "I believe so. Whoever said that vampires were damned was wrong."

"I never believed that for a second too," I add.

We hear a faint howl as we both look towards the woods.

"You have to leave now, don't you?" I sniffle.

He nods his head. We kiss one last time and he puts both hands on my cheeks.

"I have only ever wanted you to be happy Sookie," he says. "Do not deny yourself of happiness."

_I only want to be happy with you, _I think to myself as I shed more tears.

He slowly backs away from me with a sad expression on his face. "You will forever remain in my heart."

And just like that, he is gone.

I stand there for a few seconds longer before dragging myself back into the house. I close the door and lean against it with my eyes closed.

I take a few deep breaths and open my eyes. "This is not how it's supposed to be. This is not how it's supposed to end," I whisper to myself.

With a new determination, I fling the door open and run out. I run down the road, not knowing where I should be running to. "Marius!" I call out into the darkness.

I run for about another minute until I hear a voice behind me. "Sookie!"

I stop and turn around to find him standing there. I walk up to him defiantly. "I know what the consequences are that come along to be with you. It is inevitable that someone will get hurt. I am referring to Eric of course. But when you said that you were only existing up until you met me, that is exactly how I have been feeling since we parted. I don't want to be without you anymore because I love you too much. I am willing to fight for us. Are you?"

I don't think he even takes a moment to consider it. In less than a second I am in his arms. "I do not wish to be apart from you anymore either Sookie," he whispers into my hair.

He peppers my face with kisses as I smile, giggling from the sensation.

However our blissful interlude doesn't last very long. I could feel _him_ getting closer when suddenly I knew that _he_ had arrived. I look up at Marius' face and see him staring over my shoulder. I turn my head to see Eric staring at us attentively showing no emotion, but I could sense them through our bond. He felt hurt and angry. He was heartbroken. Marius doesn't release me from his hold. I turn around a little bit more to look at Eric.

"I'm going with him Eric," I say as strongly as I possibly could. "I'm sorry." I didn't know what else to say.

He continues to stare at us as I begin to glow. Marius tightens his hold on me a little more when he takes a few steps closer.

"Ever since those two malicious faeries tortured you, all I have wanted was to protect you and love you. Those two things that you have needed throughout your young life that was lacking. I have provided those for you but now I know that it isn't enough. I have been selfish and arrogant throughout my whole existence and I have never regretted any of my actions until now," he says.

"I have been...very selfish in keeping you from being happy. I thought that it would be easy to make you love me the same way that you did before," he says sadly. "But now I see that you cannot."

I nudge away from Marius a little and he lets me go. I walk up to Eric.

"I will let you go Sookie," he says simply.

"Thank you," I whisper softly as I take his hands into mine. I kiss him on the cheek and we hug.

We say our goodbyes and we watch Eric fly away.

Marius takes my hand and we begin walking back towards my house.

"So what do you want to do now?" he asks with twinkles in his eyes.

I think back to the dilemma that was going through my mind earlier as I was sitting on my porch swing. I was still uncertain about my future, but one thing I knew for sure was that I could get through anything with him.

"I don't know," I sigh happily. "Want a tour of my house?"

"I would like that," he answers back.

_**8 months later: **_

"Tara why don't you try this on? This is small, too small for me that's for sure," I mumble.

"Yeah I think your boobs would break through the top!" she chuckles.

"Oh shut up!" I laugh.

"Sookie, this would look divine on you," Pam says holding up a shiny tight-looking black dress.

I take the dress from her and step in front of the mirror. We were in one of the guest rooms in Marius', rather _our, _penthouse in NYC getting ready to go out club-hopping.

"I think I will wear _this_," I tell her.

"I like this one Sookie," Amelia says looking at a small white dress that was definitely a few sizes smaller than me.

I step out of my t-shirt and jeans and proceed to put the dress on.

Marius and I stayed in Bon Temps for about a week because he wanted to learn more about the place I grew up in. I decided to move to New York with him. Naturally, I was sad about leaving, but I was also excited about a new chapter in my life.

A couple months later Eric and I decided to break our bond, again. This time we went to see the Amazon vampires. They offered a safer alternative compared to what we went through in Martinique but there was still some blood involved in the process. Afterwards, the hum and connection of our bond was gone. It was heartbreaking, worse than the feeling of losing a loved one. But I got through it with Marius' love and assistance.

We talked about bonding and marriage. I knew that was what he wanted and although it was also what I wanted as well, I didn't want to rush into it. I had made that mistake with Eric. I didn't want to make that mistake with him.

I smile at my three best friends who were getting into their own dresses for the night. I was truly happy and tranquil. I just hoped it would last, at least for awhile.


End file.
